Elder abuse up 33% over past three years
Reports of elder abuse on the island have increased 33 per cent from three years ago, Bermuda’s senior abuse registrar revealed.
Given the growth of the island’s ageing population, Keeona Belboda, who is also the manager at Ageing and Disability Services, expects this number to increase.
She explained: “Financial exploitation is the leading type of abuse reported, followed by physical and psychological abuse.
“From international research, we know senior abuse is heavily under-reported.”
She added that senior citizens were often abused by their children, other family members or partners and that stress and a lack of skills sometimes led to abuse by caregivers.
She said: “These causes can stem from, or be exacerbated by, the current economic pressures and limited access to care services.
“Furthermore, social isolation is a key risk factor for abuse. Social isolation can increase with age, and the pandemic made this a stark reality for many of our seniors.”
To help people learn more about the issue, ADS hosted a series of events last month for world elder abuse awareness day, held on June 15.
Events included an elder abuse awareness tea and discussions on The Daily Hour podcast and radio stations.
ADS partnered with organisations such as the Bermuda Police Service and the Bermuda Bankers’ Association to spread this message.
Acting Chief Inspector Derrika Burns, from the vulnerable persons unit, said: “The BPS recognises that seniors are vulnerable and at risk of becoming victims of crime.
“I echo Ms Belboda’s comments concerning the general under-reporting of senior abuse.
“It’s a growing problem, so it’s important that we work with our partners to deal with cases head on and to also get the message out to the community in order to prevent victimisation.”
Geoff Scott, chief executive officer of BBA, said raising awareness about financial scams on the island might prevent senior citizens from being taken advantage of.
He added: “It is an unfortunate reality that seniors are vulnerable to the increasing and sometimes sophisticated financial scams that we are seeing in Bermuda.
“Bermuda’s banks will continue to partner with the BPS and ADS to provide tips to help recognise, reject, and report fraud in our community.”
Tinée Furbert, the Minister of Social Development and Seniors, said that to address elder abuse, the ministry would amend the Senior Abuse Register Act and develop a national seniors strategy.
She said: “These initiatives will help strengthen our existing system, identify key areas for improvement and better define our path to reduce the risk of abuse and enable client-centred protection and support.
“Senior abuse is everyone’s responsibility. We all have a role in working together to prevent and protect Bermuda’s seniors to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect and their fundamental rights are upheld.”
To report elder abuse, contact ADS at 292 7802 or ads@gov.bm.
• The Senior Abuse Register Act can be found under Related Media.
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