Keeping Pacific matua safe from elder abuse and neglect
Elder abuse is an issue that affects roughly one in ten seniors in Aotearoa, including many Pacific older people. To mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day this June 15, Vaka Tautua’s Aiga Fiafia Social Services team raised awareness in the community about what signs to look out for and how to seek help.
Community Social Worker Mary Makita giving a talk on elder abuse to a Cook Islands matua group.
Our Community Social Workers, Mary Makita and Lota Sika, appeared on 531pi’s PMN Cook Islands and PMN Tonga radio shows respectively. The wider team visited our Matua Ola Manuia older people’s groups to speak about this serious issue in different Pacific languages. Vaka Tautua’s Chief Executive Officer, Moananu Anna Redican Kolose, joined Brian Sagala on the Pacific Days show to highlight how Vaka Tautua can help.
Although more than 2200 cases of elder abuse are reported in Aotearoa each year, the majority go unidentified. 42% of victims live with their abuser, making it difficult for our Pacific matua to seek help. While many would class acts of physical and verbal aggression as obvious abuse, some other forms of elder abuse are more subtle.
Financial abuse is common – it’s involved in more than half of elder abuse cases – but it can be hard to identify. A family member may take away someone’s debit card for example, or move in without paying rent or for bills. Often, they will justify these actions as ‘spending their inheritance’ in advance and sometimes will even apply pressure on the older person to change their will.
Psychological abuse can also be devastating for older people, causing feelings of shame and being powerless. Signs can include humiliation, threats, intimidation, or swearing.
An effective way of preventing elder abuse is simply staying in touch with older family members, friends, or neighbours. Asking how they are could make all the difference and might help them overcome any shame they feel about their situation.
If you have concerns about how you or someone you know is being treated, please call our friendly team on 0800 628 826 for a confidential talanoa. We can also arrange for you to speak with someone in your Pacific language. If you think someone is in immediate danger, call 111 to speak with emergency services.
You can read an interview with Nga Tukino, Community Social Worker at Vaka Tautua, on the work she does in the community: ‘Cuts, bruises, quietness’: Elder abuse on the rise in Aotearoa
Learn more about Vaka Tautua’s Matua Ola Response Service