People commonly commit elderly abuse in our communities, even though they rarely speak about it. Someone intentionally causing harm or putting an older adult at risk of harm is committing elder abuse. A carer or a person the elder trusts, such as a family member, a neighbour, or someone in the community, sometimes perpetrates the abuse.
It is heartbreaking to witness elderly people being victimised, particularly in rural areas, and being falsely labelled as baloyi/amagqwirha due to their age-related illnesses or schizophrenia.
We need to condemn any sort of abuse
The founder of The Great People of South Africa, Zintle Khobeni-De Lange, states that we, as a society, have a responsibility to protect the rights of our senior citizens because it exists.
“While facilitating a community outreach programme in one of the marginalised communities we work in, I encountered an elderly woman who came to the group counselling session. She shared a horrific story of sexual abuse that she had experienced while living alone in the Eastern Cape.”
Zintle Khobeni-De Lange
Khobeni-De Lange says she described how the young man from next door had repeatedly raped her, and then she took off her doek and revealed the scars on her head.
“The rapist abused her, beat her, and threatened to kill her if she ever spoke about the rape.”
She reminds us not to abandon our gogos and mkhulus, and not to leave them unattended because they are vulnerable. We must take care of them, adds Khobeni-De Lange.
What does elder abuse look like from a broader perspective?
According to Femada Shamam, CEO of Tafta (The Association for The Aged), abuse is a crisis that is often hidden because victims are too scared to report their abusers.
“The more vocal and open we become to discussing and addressing issues of elder abuse, the more comfortable elders become to report acts of harm and neglect inflicted against them.”
Femada Shamam
“Many male elders have come forward to report acts of financial abuse, physical harm and neglect from their primary caregivers. For elders living in the community or private residences, their primary caregivers are often members of their family or close relations that are entrusted with the responsibility of their care. This is often the reason for lack of reporting, as victims often feel the need to protect those that are meant to care for them,” explains Shamam.
“Although our efforts to reach elders within the community are extensive, we still rely on the assistance of those who have access to information to share that information with those who need it.”
Let’s put an end to the stigma surrounding illnesses that affect the elderly!
Shamam has identified some instances of elderly abuse:
Physical abuse: An act which results in injury or death of an older person through the use of any physical means such as hitting, shaking, pushing, rough handling, cutting and slapping.
Financial abuse: The illegal improper use of an older person’s property or finances like control over personal finances.
Sexual abuse: An act which results in the exploitation of an older person for sexual or erotic gratification without knowledge, understanding and consent.
Psychological abuse: This type of abuse is a pattern of degrading or humiliating conduct towards an older person, which results in impaired psychological and or emotional functioning. Like rejection, isolation or oppression, etc.
Intimidation: An utterance or conveyance of threat to an older person which is likely to induce fear, thereby forcing them to do something against their will.
Violation of human rights: This is the denial of fundamental rights. E.g., dignity, speech, expression, access to information, etc.
Victimisation: Older persons displaying many characteristics of illnesses associated with ageing such as the illness dementia can be incorrectly perceived as persons participating in witchcraft; this may result in stigmatisation, exclusion, physical harm, damage to their property and death.
Get support
Tafta fulfils its vision of being leaders in innovative solutions for elders by initiating campaigns and services for the protection and promotion of elders’ basic rights.
“We encourage the general public to offer support to elders in need, either by recognising the signs of elder abuse and reporting it to Tafta – or by sharing the toll-free number 0800 10 11 10 with an elder who may be in an abusive situation,” concludes Shamam.
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