Elder Abuse Awareness Day: Hawke’s Bay leaders call for law changes as cases increase

Figures from Hawke’s Bay Age Concern paint a concerning picture of the abuse faced by the region’s elderly population, with community leaders calling on politicians to categorise elder abuse as a specific criminal offence.

Over the past 12 months, 418 elder abuse referrals were made to the organisation, compared with 330 the previous year. In April 2024, there were 23 referrals, while in April 2023, there were only six.

Elder abuse can come in forms such as physical, emotional, financial and neglect, with many victims afraid to speak out due to fear of retribution or personal circumstances.

While existing laws cover general offences such as assault and fraud, they don’t directly address the nature of elder abuse.

Data also showed that 75 per cent of elder abuse cases involved family members, with 43 per cent of the abusers living in the same household as their victims. More than half of the alleged abusers are adult children or grandchildren.

Trustees of the Positive Ageing Trust Hawke’s Bay, which include Hastings councillor Wendy Schollum and Napier councillor Greg Mawson, as well as Grey Power and Age Concern representatives, said the situation was made worse by the housing crisis in Hawke’s Bay, which forced many elderly individuals to live with their abusers.

Positive Ageing Trust Hawke’s Bay includes Greg Mawson (back left), Napier City councillor, Bruce Carnegie, Grey Power Napier president, Ron Wilkins, Hastings Grey Power president, and Wendy Schollum, Hastings councillor, along with Terry Kingston (front left), Central Hawke’s Bay Age Concern, Les Hewett, recently retired trustee, and Kirsteen Keene, manager of Heretaunga Seniors

Harrowing cases cited by the group include one involving an elderly woman whose adult child manipulated her finances, leaving her unable to afford basic necessities.

Another case involved an elderly gentleman in his 90s who was over-medicated and physically restrained by his caregiver, causing significant physical and emotional distress.

“We urge the government to take immediate action to bring us in line with countries like Australia, the US and the UK by adopting more robust laws to protect our elderly,” said Schollum, who is also chair of Positive Ageing Trust Hawke’s Bay.

“Changes must include implementing mandatory reporting laws and increasing funding for elder abuse response services. Additionally, we are advocating to make elder abuse a specific criminal offence.”

Schollum said Hawke’s Bay and Aotearoa’s elderly “deserve to live with dignity, free from fear and abuse” and communities should be capable of providing legal protections and making efforts to become educated on the warning signs and how to help.

The last significant government report on elder abuse was released in 2007.

“It’s essential that Minister for Seniors, Hon Casey Costello, and the director of the Office for Seniors champion these reforms.”

Costello told Hawke’s Bay Today she understood people were concerned about elder abuse and said the Office for Seniors made efforts to raise awareness of the issue and let people know there’s somewhere to go for help.

“The Government funds 37 providers nationally to deliver elder abuse response services (Ears), including Age Concern in Hawke’s Bay. The service is supported by a national helpline (0800 EA NOT OK) – 0800 326 68 65 – and we want people to know that this confidential service exists and to use it.

“As people age, they should expect to be supported and respected by their families and those they rely on, but the sad reality is that a lot of older New Zealanders – the estimate is around one in 10 – are affected by this issue.”

She said a major issue was that 70 per cent of abuse occurs within the home environment and involves family, so a mandatory reporting regime had some practical issues.

“With children, for example, the discussion around mandatory reporting is about ECEs and schools and medical professionals, but the same network doesn’t exist around older people.”

Costello was unaware of being approached by the Hawke’s Bay group or of the issue of funding for the response service being raised with her or officials but said she would be “interested to see their proposals”.

“Elder abuse isn’t just the extreme and criminal cases of neglect and harm that make national headlines. It’s an issue across society and can take many forms, like ‘taking advantage of’ people financially and it can be unintentional, like not providing the right type of care,” she said.

“When people are vulnerable, these actions can have a real impact on them and their quality of life. It can also be hard to identify as older people affected are often vulnerable, isolated, and unable, or unwilling to speak out about the abuse they face.”

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.