Singapore’s largest provider of elder abuse care, [email protected] says the number cases it
sees has doubled over the past three years.
The social service centre highlights that it saw some 60 cases
between January and October last year.
That's why it has launched a campaign to target violence against
senior citizens.
Hetty Musfirah reports :
Eighty-year old Mr Tan lives alone in a tiny two-room rented
flat.
He doesn't live with his son despite his age.
That's because his son used to physically abuse him when they were
living together :
"He took the walking stick and hammer me several times. And I was
bleeding a lot. I was just quiet,how to fight him, old already how
to fight?"
Mr Tan is one of the senior citizens who sought help from
[email protected]
One of the centre’s senior social workers, Alvin Chua :
"They come to us with various problems, it can be physical abuse,
financial abuse, neglect, some of them are not given food, not
given money, so that amounts to neglect,and also cases of
abandonment, where the children all don't want them. They just ask
the elderly to leave and ask the elderly to go on the streets.
"
Safe @ Trans says children of the elderly form the largest group of
abusers, with sons making up more than 50 per cent of
them.
And of the new cases, some 70 per cent of the abused senior
citizens were women.
Mr Chua says, men don't usually come forward as they don't want to
be as perceived as being less masculine :
"It is kind of unmanly for a man to step up and for a man to
acknowledge that I've been abused by my children, so they may also
not have the social support network to tell them where help is
available. So they don't step up forward, and we don't see that
many at this point in time."
[email protected] says, care-giving stress, is the most common reason for
abuse.
That's why the campaign which kicked off on Monday also aims to
encourage caregivers to seek help.
To increase awareness of elderly abuse, the centre will organise a
road show at Toa Payoh Hub on Saturday next week.
--938Live
