Alarming new research by Hourglass Scotland reveals that the abuse of older people comes last in line for government and the public alike

1 December 2021

To coincide with Safer Ageing Week Hourglass, Scotland’s only charity focused on tackling the abuse and neglect of older people, has examined the profile and priority given to the issue by the UK Government and the public over the last year.

Stark findings highlight how the public don’t consider the abuse of older people – and more staggeringly - those in power, responsible for safeguarding, have given no mention of abuse towards older people across the past year, even after living through a pandemic and the public are unaware of levels of abuse in the UK. The charity’s study found:

Only 10% of people in Scotland think of older adults (65+) when they think of victims of abuse. Nearly a quarter (24%) think of animals
The Scottish public woefully underestimates the number of older people who experience abuse – not one person surveyed thought the number of UK victims reaches over 2.5m every year.
A 2020 poll by Hourglass showed there were over 225,000 older victims of abuse in Scotland
Just over a tenth of people (14%) thought there were only 10% (250,000) of the actual number of older people experiencing abuse each year
The UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel and the two ministers responsible for safeguarding didn’t mention the abuse of older people once in any of their official ministerial speeches, papers or on Twitter
The Prime Minister, Downing Street, the Home Office and the Department of Justice didn’t mention the abuse of older people once on Twitter
Hansard recorded mentions of the abuse of older people 35 times in Parliament compared to 3603 mentions for domestic abuse, 746 mentions for child abuse and 915 mentions for fox hunting
The abuse of older people was mentioned just 9 times in debates in all Parliaments and all those mentions were in the House of Lords or the Scottish Parliament. There wasn’t a single mention in the House of Commons by Ministers or MPs
The abuse of older people was mentioned 4,500 times on Twitter compared to over half a million mentions for domestic abuse
People tweeted about animal abuse nearly 6 times as much as they tweeted about the abuse of older people
Grouse shooting was mentioned on Twitter nearly four times as often, fox hunting nearly 20 times as often and parking nearly 30 times as often

The research, compiled in a report called “Last in Line” is stark in its findings and shows just how little profile and priority the issue has in government and for the public.

It also established that there currently isn’t a single source of statutory funding in Scotland with ring-fenced resources to tackle the abuse of older people. Hourglass noted no funding has been allocated to this issue specifically since 2016.

Responding the research, Jackie Baillie MSP, Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Health and Social Care said:

“Hourglass Scotland has underlined that the subject of the abuse of older people seems to be almost off the radar across all UK legislatures and lacks profile amongst the general public. Although the Scottish Parliament has worked hard in this area we cannot rest on our laurels and this study shows the depth of the challenge.

“This is a unique charity operating almost in a vacuum and this study should be a wake up call. In the short term, if we can all support Safer Ageing Week and remember we will all want to age safely and free from abuse we can begin to recast this landscape.”

Commenting about the research, Hourglass CEO Richard Robinson said:

“It’s shameful that an issue that affects a million older people a year is given so little attention by ministers, politicians and the general public. Rightly, other forms of abuse like child abuse and domestic violence have a high profile but it is unbelievable that a niche issue like grouse shooting gets so much more attention than the abuse of older people.”

“We urgently need to push the issue forward from last in line and sound the alarm for the impact it is having on older people and those who care for them. Even since the pandemic, major public and government funding have forgotten the 2.7 million older victims of abuse and neglect every year in the UK.

“We want to join forces with our peers in the abuse sector, be given the same significance and urgency and end time on all forms of abuse and neglect. Without dedicated resources, we are only going to see the problem worsen and end up with many more older people experiencing or being at risk of abuse.”

Hourglass commissioned the research to highlight just how low a priority tackling this form of abuse is during Safer Ageing Week. It is calling for:

A national campaign to raise public awareness of the issue and increase the public’s support for tackling it
The creation of a Safer Ageing Fund in Scotland to tackle abuse and support safer ageing for older people across the UK this could include specific funding from bodies like Comic Relief, National Lottery etc.
Abuse and neglect of older people to be given equal significance within the sector

ENDS

Notes to editors

ABOUT HOURGLASS:

Hourglass is Scotland’s only charity focused on the abuse and neglect of older people whose mission is simple: end the harm, abuse and exploitation of older people in the UK.

The charity has nearly 30 years’ experience as Action on Elder Abuse and over that time its work has touched tens of thousands of people, shaped government policy and amplified the issue in national press.

The charity staffs a free-to-call helpline which is a lifeline for older men, women and their families suffering from the five forms of abuse: physical, psychological, financial, sexual or neglect.