New Zealand Medical Journal, 2000, 113(1104): 23

Note: This letter does not appear to be in the online version. Hard copies may be available in libraries. This letter briefly discusses the results of a survey on elder abuse, conducted by the South Auckland Elder Protection Team (SAEPT). The survey was designed to estimate the number of unreported referrals from community services to SAEPT within a specific time period. A reporting form was circulated in October 1997, asking 7 home care providers, 3 dementia day care services, 4 field officers, and 16 South Auckland Health social workers and care coordinators to record all new cases of elder abuse or neglect. During this period, 22 cases of elder abuse were reported. Just over half of the cases were females, with a mean age of 76 years. In 41% of cases, the victim was suffering from dementia. The primary caregiver was the perpetrator in 70% cases, and in 86% of cases, was living with the victim. Abuse types reported included self neglect, passive neglect, financial, psychological, physical, sexual, and multiple abuse types. An extrapolation of the number of cases may mean that over 200 cases of abuse a year occur in New Zealand. The author concludes that general practitioners play a crucial role in identifying elder abuse as they are typically the only health care professional that the elderly come into contact with. A call is made for education of health professionals, wider community awareness of the problem and better access to interventions that are effective.

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