Councillor warns of financial abuse of the elderly

A LOCAL councillor has called on banks to fund a public awareness campaign to highlight the financial abuse of elderly people.

Blackrock councillor Victor Boyhan (Ind) made his comments after a survey found that almost 250 banking officials have dealt with suspected cases of elder financial abuse in the last 12 months.

A total of 500 banks took part in the survey, which found that of the 13,000 elderly cases referred to the HSE up to the end of 2013, financial abuse accounted for more than one in five.

According to Age Action, hundreds of older people are facing regular demands for money; are having their pensions withheld; and are finding that their properties are being taken.

In the vast majority of cases, the perpetrators are immediate family members. Financial abuse is now the second most common form of elder mistreatment.

In one case the charity dealt with, a woman in her late 70s was left in sheltered accommodation after her son moved into her home and later refused her access.

In another incident, a woman with dementia was persuaded by her son to set up a joint bank account. He later used this account to get a credit card and made several purchases for which his mother was charged.

Age Action is now working with Ulster Bank in a bid raise awareness of financial abuse. Together, they hope to establish new ways of preventing older people from becoming victims and to encourage banking staff to act if they suspect elder abuse.

According to Cllr Victor Boyhan, the Age Action survey clearly highlights the need to address what he called the

“cruel, psychological and financial abuse

? of our older people,

“I have no doubt this is going on in every community,

? he said.

“The wider family needs to ensure this is not happening with any member of their family.

?