“Most of the incidents take place in the home space by spouses, children, grandchildren and caregivers,” chief social worker at the Senior Citizens Administration Gal Shaham said.
7,772 cases of elder abuse were reported by Israelis in 2021, the Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services Ministry said in an announcement that coincided with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Ynet reported.
According to the ministry, this included a 3.5% increase in the number of reports of elder abuse in 2021 compared to 2020.
The ministry added that the most common forms of abuse reported by senior citizens were mental abuse (28 percent), neglect (28 percent), physical abuse (16 percent) and economic exploitation (15 percent), the report added.
Violence at home
“Most of the incidents take place in the home space by spouses, children, grandchildren and caregivers.”
Gal Shaham
In addition to these reports, hundreds of rights violations and dozens of sexual abuse cases were recorded.
“Most of the incidents take place in the home space by spouses, children, grandchildren and caregivers,” Gal Shaham, chief social worker at the Senior Citizens Administration, noted.
“The range of harm to adults ranges from the illicit exploitation and use of their property and money to the deprivation of medical care and basic necessities such as food and adequate living conditions,” Shaham continued. “Abuse and neglect of the elderly are persistent and not a one-off event.”
Shaham added that anyone who knows a person who may be in distress should contact the ministry’s hotline at 118.