Abuse of the elderly: Why some are reluctant to speak up (SINGAPORE)

(Channel NewsAsia)

•  01 Aug 2015

• Fear of reprisal, a lack of knowledge on help available and even self-blame prevents victims of abuse from reporting it, guests on Channel 5's Talking Point explain.

WHY VICTIMS SUFFER IN SILENCE

Older victims are not aware of the resources out there and they do not know what to do, according to Ms Tan. Homebound, suffering from illnesses, often reliant on those who abuse them, they lack the capacity to reach out to social workers or community, she said.

Other victims choose not to report abuse because of fear of what would then happen to the perpetrator. Others blame themselves by believing that they are not a good parent.

“We try to convince them that it’s a good thing to talk to a social worker. It’s our job to help them and we can try to work out a safety plan”, said Ms Tan.

Another challenge social workers like Ms Tan face is the difficulty to prove that someone is being abused.

Said Dr Ng: “There is no blood test you can do, there is no scan that would say ‘Oh this is abuse’. And a lot of the time, there’s no evidence.”

THE VULNERABLE ADULTS ACT

When it is introduced later this year, the Vulnerable Adults Act will give social workers and other professionals, such as lawyers or doctors, powers to enter the house of a suspected victim to assess the case and remove the person to a place of safety.

“This new law is timely and useful but even with it, there's still a lot of work to be done. We need to develop sufficient community support services, nursing homes, community doctors,” pointed out Dr Ng.

Ms Tan agreed: “At the moment, there are no places of safety in cases of elder abuse.

“If the family wants to remove the victim from a hospital or nursing home, we can’t stop them.”

Abridged
SOURCE:    Channel NewsAsia

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