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Shop NowIn order to fully support older victims and their families, Hourglass must shape the political and policy debate around the abuse of older people. Hourglass wants to create and influence policy that changes lives and ways of thinking.
This isn’t about growing old gracefully. Safer ageing is about creating environments and procedures that allow all of us to stay involved in our communities as we age and to implement support to prevent isolation, neglect and abuse. In the policy landscape, safer ageing can help decision makers consider the different needs of older people and identify where changes can reduce the risk of abuse and improve outcomes for victims.
Policy Brief - Last updated November 2024
Policy, Practice and the Law: Improving Protections Against Economic Abuse.
What is economic abuse, and how does it affect older people? This Hourglass policy briefing paper explores the perpetration, impact, and cost of economic abuse, and illustrates how older people comprehend its effects. Within this piece, Hourglass advocates for greater protection for older people from economic abuse, and outlines key future policy recommendations for policymakers, legislators, and practitioners.
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Policy Brief - September 2024
Understanding the perpetrators of abuse
Should victim support services focus solely on the victims of crime? Or can investigating perpetrators of abuse and violence help organisations better support victim-survivors and prevent abuse?
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Policy Brief - Last updated January 2022
Suicide and Self-harm Among Older Adults.
Do older adults face barriers to domestic abuse support services and mental health support services? This Hourglass policy briefing paper explores the key issues surrounding the mental health of older people, in particular self-harm and suicide. In this piece, Hourglass outlines its future policy recommendations for policymakers, legislators, practitioners.
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Policy Brief - Last updated October 2021
A UK-Wide Approach to Adult Protection: National policy on powers.
Does England need stronger powers of entry legislation? This Hourglass policy briefing paper explores the policy and legislation on current adult protection powers in the four nations, specifically concentrating on power of entry. Within this piece, Hourglass outlines the background, examines the salient issues in this area, and outlines key future policy recommendations for policymakers, legislators, and practitioners.
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Policy Brief - Last updated October 2021
Building a National Picture of The Abuse of Older People: Domestic Abuse of Older People.
Do older people suffer from domestic abuse? This Hourglass policy briefing paper explores the key issues, trends, and barriers surrounding the domestic abuse of older people. Within this piece, Hourglass outlines its work on championing amendments for the Domestic Abuse Bill, as well as lays down future policy recommendations for policymakers, legislators, and practitioners.
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Policy Brief - Last updated May 2021
Improving Protections Against Economic Abuse: Policy, Practice, and the Law.
What is economic abuse, and how does it affect older people? This Hourglass policy briefing paper explores the perpetration, impact, and cost of economic abuse, and illustrates how older people comprehend its effects. Within this piece, Hourglass advocates for greater protection for older people from economic abuse, and outlines key future policy recommendations for policymakers, legislators, and practitioners.
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Policy Brief - Last updated December 2020
‘They don’t want to be a bother. They don’t want to be a burden’: Improving justice outcomes for older people.
How does the criminal justice system treat older people? This Hourglass policy briefing paper explores the key issues, policy, and barriers to support that older people face when interacting with the criminal justice system. Within this piece, Hourglass summarises its position, and outlines key future policy recommendations for policymakers, legislators, and practitioners.
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Policy Brief - Last updated October 2021
Building a National Picture of The Abuse of Older People: The implications of data collection.
How can better data collection practices enable us to understand and support older people? This Hourglass policy briefing papers explores the background of data collection and investigates the notion that older people are excluded from datasets. Within this piece, Hourglass champions the need for good data practice on the abuse of older people, and outlines key future policy recommendations for policymakers, legislators, and practitioners.
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Policy Brief - Last updated December 2020
Safer Ageing Policy in a Pandemic UK: "I have felt lonely, depressed and forgotten".
How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected older people and safer ageing in the UK? This Hourglass policy briefing paper explores the policy decisions and areas of critical concern surrounding the treatment of older people during the pandemic, specifically concentrating on care home issues, misuse of do not resuscitate orders, and increased loneliness. Within this piece, Hourglass outlines the background, examines the salient issues in this area, and outlines key future policy recommendations for policymakers, legislators, and practitioners.
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Policy Brief - Last updated December 2020
Should Age Be a Protected Characteristic Under Hate Crime Law?
Should crimes committed against older people be charged as hate crimes? This Hourglass policy briefing paper explores the background and context of hate crime legislation, and questions whether age and older people should be protected by it. Within this piece, Hourglass examines the viability of a statutory aggravation based on vulnerability, and outlines key future policy recommendations for policymakers, legislators, and practitioners.
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Policy Brief - Last updated December 2020
Abuse and Housing Support: A Protective Measure?
The idea of safe houses and housing support to assist those experiencing domestic abuse in the UK was first developed in the 1970s. At the time, domestic abuse was still a hidden form of harm dealt with behind closed doors, martial rape was legal, and support services were almost non-existent.
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Policy Brief - Last updated June 2020
Predatory Marriage: What can we do to prevent it?
Predatory marriage is a form of economic abuse that disproportionately impacts older people. A typical example is when an older person with dementia or other cognitive impairment is taken advantage of by someone younger than them.
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Policy Brief - Last updated April 2023
Poverty in Later Life: Structural and Interpersonal Violence?
Around 2.1 million (18%) pensioners in the UK currently live in poverty, and one million of these older people live in severe poverty (below 50% of the median), as well as this, 11% of older people are in “persistent poverty” having spent three years out of any four-year period below the poverty line.
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Policy Brief - Last updated August 2023
Cost of Living Crisis: Pensioners in Poverty
The cost of living crisis is, by definition, is ‘the fall in disposable income (adjusted for inflation and after taxes and benefits) that the UK has experienced since late 2021.
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Policy Brief - Last updated August 2023
Older Male Victims –Stereotyped Harm?
The abuse of male victims is hugely under recognised, underreported, under theorised, and under detected. Older men in particular have typically been excluded from data and studies on victim-survivors of domestic and other forms of abuse.
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Policy Brief - Last updated October 2023
Sexual Abuse of Older People
While many aspects of violence, abuse and harm directed against older people are understudied and underknown, paramount among these is sexual abuse and sexual violence committed against people over the age of 60.
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Briefing Paper - Last updated September 2023
Scotland - Issues and Movements
This briefing assesses movements, issues, and legislation in Scotland concerning safer ageing and the protection of older people from all forms of harm, violence, abuse, and neglect.
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Hourglass Anniversary
Thirty years of Adult Safeguarding
This document looks at these challenges and definitions of adult safeguarding in the light of Hourglass’ thirty years working in the sector.
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