The abuse of older people was on a par with child abuse but society does not always see it that way, a conference on older people heard yesterday.
Éibhlin Byrne, chairwoman of the National Council on Ageing and Older People, said social workers had no remit to deal with elder abuse, unlike child abuse. Elder abuse may involve physical abuse such as slapping or kicking, emotional abuse such as bullying or confiscating money, and even sexual abuse.
"Our children are to be valued no more or no less than older people," she told the conference, "Towards an Age-Friendly Society in Ireland", held in Tullamore, Co Offaly.
"Elder abuse is no less a crime than child abuse. One generation does not have precedence over another."
Bob Huber, of the UN division for social policy and development, said that family members were often the perpetrators of "abuse, exploitation and violence" visited on older people.
"Family members are accused of abuse, neglect and abandonment of older relatives, who are robbed of pensions and public assistance.
"One study found that family members were the aggressors in 80 per cent of cases of abuse of older women, and 61 per cent of those who suffered abuse did not seek help because of fear and shame."
Mr Huber said stereotyping was leading more and more people to ignore the old "because they are considered essentially non productive in societies which increasingly emphasise economic productivity and material possessions".
Some older people who accepted these negative stereotypes engaged in destructive behaviour by not seeking help for an illness or not claiming welfare, the UN expert warned.
The conference, which marked "Say No to Ageism Week", was organised by the Health Service Executive, the Equality Authority and the National Council on Ageing and Older People.
The national council was also critical of negative stereotyping, particularly in the media. Council director Bob Carroll said a television station had this week used a piece of film - panning across the legs of nursing-home residents - to illustrate a report about older people and the health service. That same piece of footage was used "last week and the week before and the week before" to illustrate other stories about older people, he said.
Equality Authority executive Niall Crowley said marketing strategies regularly excluded older people. "All too often, the image, the message, or medium reflects a youth culture and fails to communicate with older people." Therefore, older people remained uninformed about services and unconvinced as to their relevance.
The conference also heard that the biggest challenge facing the new health service executive (HSE) in primary care was to use all its resources to deliver what the patient needed "in the least complex way".
Aidan Browne, HSE director of primary, community and continuing care, said: "In some areas it's very difficult not to have to be dealt with by about five people to get your particular problem catered for."
The health system had suffered from having 10 health boards, he said. "We have suffered to some degree from people not having a unified approach and the evidence is all around us. We have at least 10 different ways of doing things. In most instances, we have at least 30 different ways of doing things and possibly more."
