IRELAND: Elder Abuse Figure Could Be 20,000

A leading doctor has said over 20,000 elderly people in Ireland could be victims of some form of abuse. DUBLIN, Ireland (Irishhealth.com), November 19, 2007: By Niall Hunter, Editor Dr Michael Boland of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) said extrapolating World Health Organisation statistics to Ireland, 5% of older people, or around 21,500 people, could be the victims of abuse, including emotional, financial, physical or sexual abuse. He told the Winter Meeting of the College in Dublin that this abuse can include physical abuse, unwarranted chemical or physical restraint, bullying, neglect, and financial abuse such as stealing money or altering wills. Dr Boland said GPs should be vigilant on signs of abuse when seeing patients in nursing homes and nursing homes should have defined policies in place for management and follow-up of ‘violent incidents’. He said GPs should look for signs of possible abuse when examining elderly patients and query ‘falls’ that may have occurred without good reason. They should immediately report in writing any suspected abuse. Dr Boland said if the suspected mistreatment has occurred in a nursing home, GPs should raise these issues first with the nursing home concerned and then if necessary with the HSE. GPs, he said, should also check a patient’s mood, sleeping patterns and appetite. Dr Boland said sexual abuse of the elderly is prevalent and it is part of the GP’s duty to care to report this when it is suspected. Dr Boland has been involved in the drawing up of new standards of care for nursing homes which are to be implemented through a new inspection system under the aegis of the Health Information and Quality Authority next year. Defining what is needed for the provision of good nursing home care, Dr Boland said prospective residents of homes should where possible visit them before going to reside there and nursing home staff should also visit the home of a prospective resident. Robin Webster, Chief Executive of Age Action Ireland, outlined to the meeting the many ways in which older people are discriminated against in Ireland. He said an example of discriminatory attitudes was the fact that the Department of Finance called the ageing of the population a ‘long-term challenge’. Mr Webster said there was a need for a specific office of Minister for Older people in the Department of Health, pointing out that the office of the Minister for Children currently has 120 staff. He said older people are discriminated against in terms of employment opportunities, through arbitrary age limits on insurance policies and in terms of not having equitable, timely and affordable access to healthcare. Copyright © 2007