Elder Abuse: A Worldwide Problem
93-year-old Anantaiah Setty was found chained below an elevated platform erected for the overhead tank. He was rescued by the City police from the terrace of his house near Banashankari Temple where his family had allegedly chained him for the last one-and-a-half years. The nonagenarian was hardly fed, and left to defecate in a narrow open space. Setty, who was later shifted to Jayanagar General Hospital, said his family was indifferent to his plight. “They didn’t look after me well. Not a single day in the last 18 months did they give me two square meals. I was left with no option but to beg in the neighbourhood,” The incident came to light when neighbours tipped off a Kannada news channel about Setty. The police then raided the house and rescued the elderly man and provided him rehabilitation and medical help.
The World Health Organization defines Elder Abuse as "an act intended to harm an older person by way of physical, emotional or psychological, mental, neglect or financial distress. Elder abuse includes harmful acts committed by close family, known relatives, friends, neighbours and paid caregivers".
According to the WHO, elder abuse is a problem that exists in both developing and developed countries, yet is typically under-reported globally. Until recently, this serious social problem was hidden from the public view and considered mostly a private matter. Even today, elder abuse continues to be a taboo, mostly underestimated and ignored by societies across the world.
In India, elder abuse is one of the major problems elder face. About 50% of elders have faced some form of abuse and of them 71% are abused by their own family members.