Elder abuse

Elder abuse is abuse or neglect that is targeted and causes harm to an older person. Some forms of elder abuse include financial, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse or neglect and the abuser could be a family member, a friend, partner, or carer.

Some examples of elder abuse include:

• Abusing power of attorney
• Fraud and scams
• Abusing family agreements
• Theft
• Inheritance impatience
• Failure to provide care
• Emotional manipulation

The elderly are at a greater risk of abuse due to these possible factors:

• Poorer physical and mental health
• An increase in social isolation
• Greater dependency on others as a result of the above

Keep your finances safe

Preventing financial abuse can be difficult. However, below are some preventative measures you can take to try protect yourself and keep your finances safe:

• Ensure that you are up to date with the latest scams. Visit our Fraud and Security Hub for more information about scams.
• Pick the right support team. If you are worried about elder abuse, select a trusted support team for you. This can be other family members, lawyers, doctors, bank staff or financial advisors.
• Consider setting up a third-party authorisation to help you manage your accounts.
• Ensure that anyone who has third-party authorisations over your accounts is trusted.
• Don’t share your card PIN, app PIN, or online banking password. If these details have been compromised, ensure you change them and keep the new passwords safe.
• If you can, it’s important to check your bank accounts regularly and monitor for any unauthorised transactions
• Never sign any legal documents that you don’t understand
• If possible, have a discussion with someone you trust about concerns you may have
• Ensure no on else has access to or is opening your mail or emails

Please contact one of the below organisations for free and confidential support