350,000 pensioners suffer abuse in own home

The UK Study of Abuse and Neglect report, which comes a day before International Elder Abuse Awareness day, found 342,000 older people have been victims of abuse, ranging from financial fraud to emotional abuse and even assault. The report also said 105,000 people had suffered 10 or more separate instances of neglect.

The figures, compiled over two years by independent researchers at the National Centre for Social Research and Kings College, London, are based on a survey of 2,000 people who live in their own homes.

The majority of abusers, 53 per cent, were living in the respondent's house at the time of the abuse.

Of those, 65 per cent of perpetrators were recorded as having committed "interpersonal" abuse, meaning physical, psychological or sexual abuse was cited.

Liberal Democrat MP Paul Burstow, who will table an Early Day Motion today calling for the Government to introduce specific legal protections for older people, has said the omission of dementia sufferers and care home residents from the report means its findings are "only the tip of the iceberg".

He said his Protection of Adults in Care (Prevention of Harm and Exploitation) Bill will oblige local authorities to investigate suspected abuse and give them power to impose protection orders to safeguard those at risk.

"We urgently need to move from a system of voluntary guidance to one with legal protections for vulnerable people," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said the reason the report did not include people in care is that researchers specifically wanted to look at abuse in a domestic setting, and that the findings provide the Government "with an opportunity to understand the prevalence of abuse in the UK".

Rowena Smith, of the Community and District Nurses Association (CNDA), which produced its own report on elder abuse in 2003, said district nurses are particularly well placed to see abuse at first hand.

"I am very concerned at the worrying rise and the number of incidents that don't get reported. The home should be a sanctuary for elderly people yet can become a place of fear and violence," she said.

Commission for Social Care Inspections (CSCI) chief inspector Paul Snell said: "This is a significant report.

"It is important for all agencies, the public, politicians, regulators and policy-makers together to take a strong stand against the abuse of older people.

"Professional care agencies and care workers must remain vigilant and report the small minority of people in their industry who are giving others a bad name.

"We must create a society where people can grow old with dignity, be and feel safe, and continue to enjoy full and satisfying lives."

He said the CSCI would be looking very closely at the findings to see how it could help older people living in their own homes to have the courage and confidence to raise issues about poor and possibly abusive care.

He added that there are millions of older people who do not receive care services or live in care homes.

They would need to have the courage and confidence to speak out, with the support of society and the authorities, to challenge their abusers and stop the abuse.