Signs of elder abuse in spotlight
This Sunday is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, a time to shine a light on the mistreatment of older people and call for collective action to stand up for seniors and ensure they can live with dignity, respect and safety.
Age Concern Otago chief executive Mike Williams, who took up the role in January, said the organisation's dedicated Elder Abuse Response Service (EARS) team were busier than ever.
The EARS team of four social workers, led by Central Otago-based Rosanna Pritchard, supported 387 older people last year experiencing alleged elder abuse across the region. Types of abuse reported included emotional, financial and physical abuse, along with neglect — often at the hands of those they trusted most.
Across New Zealand, Age Concern was involved in 2817 cases of elder abuse from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. Of those allegedly causing the harm, 88% were family members, of which 50% were adult children or grandchildren.
Age Concern New Zealand chief executive Karen Billings-Jensen said elder abuse was not just a private issue, it was "a community issue".
"On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, we urge all New Zealanders to learn the signs of abuse, speak up and support older people in their lives and communities."
This year, Age Concern's theme for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is "spot the signs". It calls on individuals, whānau, community groups, organisations and businesses to help raise awareness and take appropriate action.
Ms Pritchard said the Age Concern Otago EARS team, which comprised Dunedin-based social workers Tim Ollerenshaw and Trici Grothe-Robertson, Oamaru-based social worker Sharon McGregor and Dunedin-based community social worker Annie Nevin, were dealing with increasingly complex cases of elder abuse.
"Unfortunately, older people are finding that the health services and other back-stops they may have relied on in the past have vanished," she said.
In addition, more older people were living in trailers and caravans and moving around more, which made it difficult to maintain support networks. Families were also often scattered around New Zealand and overseas.
On the flip side of the coin, some older people were finding themselves caring for adult children who had returned home due to economic circumstances or issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health.
"Financial abuse is a major issue — we are seeing lots and lots of money being taken from older people," she said.
"And this is really distressing for our clients — these are people that they love and should be able to trust."
When there were difficulties with family members, the Age Concern team could be a buffer and provide confidential support.
"Our focus is on the older person and what they want and need — that is the most important thing."
Ms Pritchard said it was encouraging that growing numbers of older people were reaching out to report elder abuse and request support, along with reports by concerned friends, neighbours and family members.
EARS is also a member of the local Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke team, part of a national framework through which police, iwi and organisations work in partnership to reduce family harm.
Mr Williams said the demand on the Otago EARS team, and the complex nature of many situations, meant the service was under increasing pressure.
"Complex situations take longer to unravel and deal with, which adds to the pressure," he said.
"We are already working at capacity and are acutely aware that more people are at crisis point and needing our help."
Mr Williams came to the Age Concern Otago chief executive role after a long career in the mental health, prisoner rehabilitation and children's health and wellbeing fields.
"Since I have been working with the Age Concern team, I have been impressed by the heart and passion they have for our older people," he said.
"This is a great organisation, and the services we offer are highly valued by the community." How You Can Help:
• Learn to spot the signs of elder abuse and how to respond.
• Check in with older friends, neighbours and whānau.
• If you or someone you know is experiencing elder abuse, contact Age Concern's Elder Abuse Response Service at 0800652105 (weekdays 8.30am-4.30pm) or the national 24-hour helpline at 0800EANOTOK (08003266865), for free, confidential support.
• More information on the free, confidential Age Concern Otago Elder abuse Response Service (EARS) can be found online at ageconcernotago.com
brenda.harwood@thestar.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
2 hours ago
- Scoop
Pacific News In Brief For 20 August
Vanuatu - whooping cough The Vanuatu Daily Post is reporting the country's Ministry of Health has declared an outbreak of whooping cough. Over the past two weeks, the Ministry has recorded an increase in suspected cases. The paper reported that laboratory testing has confirmed that seven out of eight samples sent to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Australia tested positive for Bordetella pertussis. All confirmed cases involved unvaccinated children under the age of five. West Papua - food A supplementary food programme has been launched for pregnant women and toddlers in West Papua. Indonesia's Antara news agency reports the collaboration between the Jayapura City Government in Papua and UNICEF aims to reduce stunting. Running from 2025 to 2026, the program will target nine priority health centres and posts. It will also include vitamin A distribution, routine growth monitoring, and the use of electronic data systems to track effectiveness. Papua New Guinea - flooding Food gardens in Bosset Village, in Papua New Guinea's Middle Fly District, have been severely damaged by three months of flooding. The Post-Courier reported the crops such as kaukau, cassava, and bananas have been affected, as well as sago, the staple food for Middle Fly communities. Flooding has swamped the sago areas, making harvesting difficult. The starch content has dropped and residents say it can take an entire day to find one suitable palm. Bosset Village has faced these challenges for years, often paddling long distances to neighboring areas such as Wangawanga and Aiambak to process sago. The Bosset community has conducted flood assessments and is now appealing to authorities and stakeholders for urgent assistance. Fiji - social media Fiji is looking at banning social media for under 16-year-olds, amid rising concerns over misinformation and online harm. The state broadcaster reported Communications Minister Manoa Kamikamica believes false content has contributed to youth suicide. Kamikamica said Fiji is in the early stages of reviewing social media laws, with potential restrictions and regulations likely to be debated within the next year. He said the Online Service Commission lacks clout and reforms will be considered alongside new legislation. Fiji - tourism Tourism in Fiji jumped 7.1 percent last month compared to July 2024. The Fiji Times reported Bureau of Statistics data showing there were 99,311 tourists for the month. Most visitors came for holidays or to visit family and friends, while a minority visited for business purposes. Australians made up the bulk of the tourists, followed by New Zealanders, Americans, Europeans and Chinese.
Scoop
3 hours ago
- Scoop
Cancer, Measles And Allergic Disease Research Funded In Latest HRC Grants Round
The Malaghan Institute has been awarded three Health Research Council grants, totalling $7.4M over five years, to improve cancer immunotherapies, protect vulnerable populations from measles outbreaks and investigate new therapeutic targets for eczema. Director Professor Kjesten Wiig says receiving three major grants from the Health Research Council at a time of heightened funding constraints is significant and recognises the calibre and relevance of the Malaghan Institute's science. 'These investments not only reflect confidence in the Malaghan's research across cancer, allergic and infectious diseases, but also the real-world impact of our work on the health of New Zealanders.' Faster CARs: Overcoming exhaustion to enhance cancer immunotherapies Building on the Malaghan Institute's ground-breaking CAR T-cell programme, the Perret team in the Weinkove Laboratory has recieved a $1.2 million project grant over three years to improve on this life-saving treatment. 'In Aotearoa's first CAR T-cell trial, our novel CAR T-cell therapy has shown promising safety and efficacy in people with relapsed lymphomas,' says Dr Rachel Perret. 'However, a known limitation of CAR T-cell therapies is that in some cases, cancers fail to respond, or relapse. This may be due to exhaustion of CAR T-cells during manufacture or inside the patient, due to a immunosuppressive environment around the tumour.' Cells, like people, can become exhausted if overworked or overstimulated, becoming less and less able to perform. However, unlike people, CAR T-cells can be tweaked to block the genes that signal this exhaustion, allowing them to continue fighting cancer for longer – which should also improve patient outcomes. 'This project will re-engineer CAR T-cells to silence genes linked to exhaustion and re-develop CAR T-cell manufacturing processes to enhance CAR T- cell fitness and shorten manufacturing times,' says Dr Perret. 'We expect the results to be applicable to many cancer types, and to be readily translated for the benefit of New Zealanders within our CAR T-cell clinical trial programme.' Providing equal protection for everyone against measles Herd immunity is how we as a population protect those who are immunocompromised or otherwise unable to get vaccinated (such as very young infants) against potentially life-threatening viruses like measles. When enough of the population are vaccinated (over 95% in the case of measles), this herd immunity effectively prevents viruses from spreading to our most vulnerable whānau. 'While the current measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is highly effective at protecting vaccinated individuals against these viruses, current vaccination rates are not high enough to provide this essential herd immunity to protect those who cannot be vaccinated,' says paediatric immunologist Dr Kuang Hsiao from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, who is part of the research team. The MMR vaccine cannot be used in people with severely impaired immune systems and is not recommended in pregnant people. Also, MMR is less effective in infants, so is not routinely recommended before 12 months of age. In addition, Māori and Pacific communities are overrepresented among these vulnerable groups. For these populations, alternate protective options are required to prevent a measles outbreak. 'Evidence has shown that mRNA-based vaccines can be effective in these vulnerable individuals,' says the Malaghan's Professor Ian Hermans. 'With an international team involving clinicians, immunologists and Māori and Pacific researchers, we will develop an mRNA-based measles vaccine to give to vulnerable individuals in the event of an outbreak.' The research has been awarded an HRC Programme Grant, worth $5M over five years, and will bring together multiple organisations including the Malaghan, representing diverse areas of expertise and combining both fundamental research and public health. 'As part of this work, we will explore with Māori and Pacific communities' perceptions and beliefs about mRNA-based vaccines to support equitable access to the vaccine,' says Dr Hermans. Investigating novel treatment targets for atopic dermatitis Atopic dermatitis, or eczema, is a chronic skin allergic disease that affects a significant proportion of New Zealand's population. The disease can have a significant negative impact on a person's livelihood with symptoms varying from persistent itchiness, redness, dryness and inflammation. Current treatment options are largely immunosuppressants such as corticosteroids, which can cause side effects. While these treatments can help manage symptoms there are currently no effective therapies to prevent the disease from developing and relapsing. At the cellular level, one hallmark of atopic dermatitis is the chronic infiltration and persistence of immune cells called tissue resident memory T-cells. Normally, these cells are vital for protecting the skin from invading pathogens, but for individuals with atopic dermatitis these cells also contribute to the disease by promoting recurring inflammation even after the allergen has been cleared from the skin. The project, which has been awarded $1.2 million over three years, will be led by Dr Sotaro Ochiai, a Senior Research Fellow in the Ronchese Laboratory. The team will focus on better understanding these tissue resident memory T-cells identifying key genes and biological pathways that are essential for the establishment and maintenance of these cells in the skin. 'By understanding these mechanisms, we aim to identify new therapeutic targets to disrupt tissue resident memory T-cell survival or function and improve quality of life for those affected by this persistent and distressing condition,' says Dr Ochiai.
1News
3 hours ago
- 1News
Man jailed for issuing dozens of fraudulent WoFs without inspection
A man who issued nearly 80 warrants of fitness without being authorised or inspecting the majority of the vehicles has been sentenced to six months in prison. Dwayne Lord was sentenced in the Auckland District Court recently for several breaches of transport law. Between December 2022 and June 2023, Lord fraudulently accessed the NZTA vehicle inspection system using his employer's credentials, despite not being an appointed vehicle inspector. He issued 78 warrants of fitness without inspecting most of the vehicles on four separate occasions. An NZTA investigation uncovered the deliberate abuses of the system and confirmed very few of the vehicles had been inspected by Lord or an authorised inspector. ADVERTISEMENT NZTA road safety regulations national manager Brett Aldridge said Lord's actions represented a clear violation of public trust and a "potentially serious risk" to road safety. "New Zealanders rely on WoF inspections to identify actual, emerging, and potentially dangerous vehicle faults. "Fraudulent inspection records not only undermine the integrity of the system, they also pose a real and serious risk to the safety of all road users." Aldridge said the NZTA viewed the case as a "blatant abuse of the land transport system" and that the sentencing should send a clear message. "NZTA has robust monitoring and investigative capabilities, and we will not hesitate to take action against individuals who compromise vehicle safety and public trust. "At the same time, NZTA acknowledges that the vast majority of vehicle inspectors and industry professionals are doing an excellent job by upholding high standards, following the rules, and helping keep New Zealand roads safe. Their commitment should not be overshadowed by the actions of single individuals."
