Elder Abuse in Indian Setting–A Misconception or a Reality–A Deductive Analysis

Background: Elderabuse has come to the limelight only since the past decade. WHO estimates that 15.7% of individuals above 60 years undergo abuse in various forms and is proposed to increase in the coming years owing to ageing population in many countries. Hence this study attempts to find out the perception of individuals towards elder abuse.

Method: A qualitative study was done by conducting Focussed group discussions (FGDs) amongst elders and those between 18–60 years of age. The discussion was audio taped and scribed which was then analysed by deductive thematic analysis. The findings have been presented based on the themes that emerged along with verbatim.

Results: The study groups were of the consensus that elder abuse is prevalent in our country. Themes that emerged were: 1) Elders are considered a burden in the society, 2) Sons and daughter in laws abuse elders more, 3) Elderly females are abused more than elderly males. The discussions also revealed a low level of knowledge amongst the groups regarding helplines for elderly/schemes for the elderly in our country.

Conclusion: Elderly abuse though prevalent in our societies lay hidden mostly because complaint registrations of such instances are very few owing to the fact that elders are dependent and are not aware of where and how to seek help.