Elderly hit for pokie money

Punters are emptying the accounts of elderly relatives to feed their gambling habit. Photo/File

More elderly people are being used as cash cows for family members feeding their own gambling addictions and it has to stop, according to credit union NZCU Baywide.

On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Gavin Earle, NZCU chief executive officer, said financial exploitation of the elderly by children addicted to gambling was a growing problem in New Zealand.

Mr Earle said his company was calling for families and friends to safeguard older people to ensure their funds stay in their accounts and don't end up down pokie machine slots.

He said in New Zealand, the impact of elder abuse was felt throughout the community in a number of ways, including instances of older people being used as a source of money by their children to feed their gambling habits.

He said according to the Te Rangihaeata Oranga Trust, a leading provider of gambling services, addiction to pokie machines is the problem they see the most of in their work.

"Gambling is a huge problem in our communities and it is up to each and every one of us to do what we can to help.

"In the space of only three months, more than $2.2 million was spent in pokie machines in Wanganui, This is a shocking amount of money in anyone's language," Mr Earle said.

NZCU Baywide recently invited the Te Rangihaeata Oranga Trust to speak to its team leaders about the growing problems of gambling.

"We all need to become more vigilant and investigate unusual behaviour, such as a young person accompanying their older relative to the bank to withdraw large sums of money, or withdrawing money on a regular basis from an account they have access to. We owe it to our older people," he said. The United Nations designated June 15 as a day to encourage communities to recognise the problem of elderly abuse and focus global attention on the problem of physical, emotional and financial abuse of elders.

The UN estimates indicate that by 2050, the global population of people above the age of 60 will exceed the number of younger people. These changes have led to a worldwide recognition of the problems and challenges that face the elderly.

Research has shown that elderly abuse, neglect, violence, and exploitation are some of the biggest issues facing senior citizens around the world.

World Health Organisation data suggests that four to six per cent of elderly suffer from some form of abuse, a large percentage of which goes unreported.