13 pc of elders in India are beaten and slapped by relatives: Survey

Kolkata: An alarming 13 per cent of elders in India experienced physical abuse, in the form of beating and slapping, with relatives, sons and daughters-in-law being the top perpetrators of abusing the elderly generation, according to a survey report.

Nationally, 59 per cent of elders feel that elder abuse is prevalent in society, while only 10 per cent of them admitted to being a victim of abuse, according to the survey report ‘Bridge the Gap: Understanding Elder Needs’published by the non-governmental organisation Help Age India.

Relatives were perpetrators of 36 per cent of the abuses targeting the elder generation, sons accounted for 35 per cent while daughters-in-law were the perpetrators in 21 per cent of such incidents, said the report released to observe UN-recognised World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

57 per cent of the elderly complained of disrespect being shown to their generation, while 38 per cent faced verbal abuse, while 33 per cent were victims of neglect, according to the report based on a sample size of 4,399 elder respondents and 2,200 young adult caregivers across 22 cities in India.

"Sadly, 46 percent of the elders are not aware of any abuse redressal mechanics, ... An alarming 13 percent of elders in India experienced physical abuse, in the form of beating and slapping," said the report.

Nationally, 47 per cent of those abused stated they "stopped talking to family" as a response to the abuse faced.

Concerning prevention of abuse, 58 per cent of the elderly opined that ‘"counselling to family members" is required, while 56 per cent of the elderly respondents said to deal with abuse "time-bound decisions" and an age-friendly response system needs to be put in place at a policy level.

"Only 13 per cent of the respondents said they were aware of the ‘Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007".

79 per cent of the elders felt that their family does not spend enough time with them.

Even though, the majority (82 per cent) of elders are living with their families, 59 per cent want their family members to spend more time with them.

78 of per cent of elders felt they were involved in family decision-making by their caregivers at home, but 43.1 per cent of elders felt neglected by younger generations and harboured a feeling that they were left out.

While a huge boost was being given to digital India across the board, with the constant evolvement of new digital technology, elders are still far behind with 71 per cent of them not having access to smartphones. Those who do, have not yet optimised its benefits and use it primarily for calling purposes (49 per cent), social media (30 per cent) and banking transactions (17 per cent). (UNI)