Elder abuse is far more widespread than public reports suggest, with many cases hidden behind closed doors, according to Advocates Against Domestic Abuse (AADA) chairperson Barbara Daniel-Goddard.
She urged the authorities to establish a comprehensive support system to protect older victims once abusive relatives are removed from their homes.
Media reports represent only a fraction of the physical, financial and psychological abuse taking place, said Daniel-Goddard, noting that many cases emerged during her conversations with medical professionals, charities, people working with vulnerable communities and individuals who reached out to the AADA.
“I would say the few times that things appear in the newspaper, or on the TV or whatever, is a small little drop in the ocean compared to what is happening all the time out there,” she told Barbados TODAY.
AADA, which normally receives more calls concerning intimate partner abuse, has in recent times been contacted by elderly people experiencing such abuse at the hands of their own relatives, Daniel-Goddard said. The organisation has been actively helping these individuals where possible, she added.
According to the advocate, some elderly victims are reluctant to report their children or even grandchildren who were abusing them because they feared being left without the care they depended on: “There’s a lot of fear in the elderly community. There’s a level of fear in being old. There’s a level of fear of being left on your own. There’s a level of fear knowing that if I take sick, who’s going to look after me?”
She suggested many senior citizens lack knowledge of the legal protections available to them.
Obtaining a protection order or removing an abusive son, daughter or other relative from an elderly person’s home was only the first step in addressing the situation, said Daniel-Goddard, who questioned what happens to the victim once the abuser is gone.
“If that elderly person needs support, who is supporting them?” she asked. “If the abusive daughter or son or their relation is moved out of the home, what have we got to put in place to help that elderly person?”
While some elderly people received help with tasks such as cooking and cleaning, Daniel-Goddard said such services are often limited to a few hours and do not address all the needs of someone living alone.
She said a proper support plan must consider who will prepare meals, clean the home, take the elderly person to medical appointments, ensure medication is taken and provide companionship to address loneliness.
Emergency measures must also be considered, the advocate said, including alarm systems connected to a service that can respond around the clock.
Daniel-Goddard said while AADA has referred elderly people who reported being taken advantage of to the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, a coordinated, individualised response is needed to ensure vulnerable older people are not left to fend for themselves once an abusive relative is removed.
The plan should extend to practical matters such as helping an elderly person collect their pension, managing bank accounts and determining who will make decisions if the person is hospitalised or dies.
“It’s not just removing the abuser,” Daniel-Goddard stressed. “We need to actually sit down and have a working plan.”
These plans cannot be generic because elderly people’s needs differ. “It’s not one hat fits all,” she said.
Daniel-Goddard said that while changes to the law and protection orders are important, legislation alone will not resolve the problem.
“The law is really valid because it is pertinent, and the law is essential, but it’s not only the law; it’s the policies and procedures that follow the law that need to be in place,” she said.
She also called for greater coordination when police respond to suspected cases of elder abuse, suggesting that officers should have access to another unit capable of assessing the elderly person’s psychological and medical needs upon arriving at the residence.
Raising concerns about cases involving possible Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, she called on agencies to have a clear process for determining whether an elderly person or their alleged abuser has an underlying condition that may affect the situation.
Daniel-Goddard recounted being contacted by an elderly woman whose husband, she believed, may have been suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and was abusing his wife.
“I went to the police, they tell me one thing. I rang the psychiatric unit; they tell me another thing, and nobody seems to be able to help in any constructive way,” she said.
The experience, she said, highlighted the need for clearly defined procedures, as well as sufficient personnel to implement them.
“The issue is: Have we got proper policies and procedures that can be implemented, that have been tested? … And have we got the manpower? At this time, the answer is no,” Daniel-Goddard said.
She also believes elderly people need greater assistance navigating the law system, noting that some may never have visited a police station or know how to seek a protection order.
Daniel-Goddard said Barbados needs what she described as “elderly soldiers” — people and systems dedicated to monitoring the wellbeing of older citizens and identifying what they need beyond basic physical care.
She warned that providing food, cleaning homes and meeting other practical needs does not necessarily address the psychological impact of fear, isolation and loneliness.
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