Reports of abuse against seniors have doubled in the past three years, with the numbers expected to increase further, owing to the island’s ageing population, the Ministry of Youth, Social Development and Seniors said.

A spokesman for Ageing and Disability Services attributed much of this to better awareness — something the government agency considered a positive sign.

However, he added that existing difficulties with limited housing options and manpower meant that ADS often struggled to provide timely help.

The spokesman explained: “Assisting seniors in such circumstances can be a challenge when issues such as caregiving, care-home beds or housing options are required to help decrease risk and there are barriers to accessing them or limited availability.

“In addition, another challenge the team faces is their caseloads, as this is not the only service provided by the case management team, which impacts their timeliness and depth of services that can be provided.”

The spokesman said that ADS received 211 reports of senior abuse in 2025-26.

Comparable figures for 2023-24 and 2024-25 were 100 and 153 respectively.

Asked how Bermuda’s ageing population was expected to impact the statistics, the spokesman replied: “We would expect to see an increase.”

The spokesman credited the rise in reports to heightened awareness, the growing ageing population and improvements in data collection.

However, he also attributed the growth to cost-of-living pressures, which force seniors to live with family members who struggle with the compounded stresses of familial and financial responsibilities.

About 39 per cent of reports during the 2025-26 year were substantiated by ADS.

The spokesman added that in situations where abuse was not found, service plans may still be recommended to avoid risks.

He told The Royal Gazette: “Cost of living and the housing crisis can increase the risk of senior abuse as family members who may cause harm are living with the senior as alternative, affordable housing cannot be found.

“Furthermore, when caregivers are burnt out or don’t have the knowledge or skills to support the senior, this can be an increased risk factor for abuse.”

The spokesman said the most common types of abuse were financial, physical and psychological abuse, although it was common to see “complex trauma” that involved more than one form of abuse.

He said senior abuse was similar to other types of abuse, where a person attempts to maintain power or control over another individual.

A common form of financial abuse involves scammers using increasingly sophisticated techniques to target seniors who may not know how to spot the ruse.

The spokesman said that despite the common perception of abuse taking place in care homes, the majority of it was reported for seniors within the community.

He explained: “A large part of senior abuse is domestic abuse as it includes abuse caused by people in close, personal relationships.

“We often see this in the form of adult children against their ageing parents.”

The spokesman added: “Often there are mental health [issues] or substance abuse contributing to the abusive behaviours, but we have also seen people take advantage of seniors to address financial challenges or lifestyle expectations.”

He said that common risk factors include social isolation, dependence on a caregiver and cognitive impairment.

The spokesman explained that isolating a senior could keep others from noticing signs of abuse while forcing the older person to rely more on a caretaker.

Once that dependence was built, he added, the senior could be less likely to speak up for fear of losing the necessary support, or that the abuse can get worse.

Forms of cognitive impairment, such as dementia, could also make it challenging for a senior to communicate their needs or recognise abuse, he explained, and could make the senior seem untrustworthy to others.

The spokesman added: “In addition, seniors can experience shame, guilt or embarrassment that prevents them from telling someone, especially when the abuse is occurring by a close family member such as their child.

“Seniors tend to be in abusive relationships for longer periods of time, which can result in them normalising the behaviour or seeing it as ‘just the way things are’.”

The spokesman reminded the public that ADS did not have the power to take protective actions not consented to by the senior at risk.

He explained: “Seniors, like all adults who have capacity, have the right to make their own decisions, which can include staying in abusive situations or refusing to engage with support services or the police.

“If there is concern about the ability for the senior to make such a decision, capacity assessments are required to determine what actions are possible and how.”

He told the public that everyone, especially professionals, was required to report senior abuse, including caretakers, healthcare professionals and members of the clergy.

The spokesman said frequent socialising with seniors was crucial to giving them a support network to help with any abuse.

He encouraged those with senior family members to check on them frequently and take any allegations of abuse seriously.

The spokesman urged the public to be vigilant of red flags, such as unexplained injuries, frequent accidents, significant changes in spending habits or changes in the senior’s interactions.

If any such signs were present, the spokesman advised the public to speak to the senior in private or talk to Ageing and Disability Services.