CHRISTIAN UK REGULARLY BEATS, INSULTS & ABUSES ITS ELDERLY
Islamic Community Net
January 23, 2006
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamiccommunitynet/message/9128

"...only two per cent thought it is an important issue. It rated way below animal welfare which 17 per cent thought was important..."


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EXCLUSIVE: HURT THE AGED
EXCLUSIVE ½ million regularly hit insulted & abused
Report tells of shock levels across the nation
But only one in 50 think it's a big problem
By Bob Roberts, Deputy Political Editor
Daily Mirror
23 January 2006
 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16616224%26method=full%26siteid=94762%26headline=exclusive%2d%2dhurt%2dthe%2daged-name_page.html

HALF a million old people are regularly beaten, insulted and abused, a shock new report will show this week.

It will reveal staggering levels of "elder abuse" in the UK.

But only one-in-50 people regard it as a serious problem - way below the number concerned about animal cruelty, the environment and tackling poverty. Pressure group Help the Aged is to launch a new campaign to urge the Government to take more action against those people who bully or attack OAPs.

The group said there are "shocking" levels of ignorance about the issue.

Its report found that up to 500,000 elderly people are being physically, emotionally or sexually abused in the UK.

Two-thirds of abuse is committed in private homes of elderly people by those meant to be caring for them. The rest is in care homes.

And three-quarters of those abused are over 70.

But an opinion poll also found there was little public recognition of the problem.

The report found only two per cent thought it is an important issue. It rated way below animal welfare which 17 per cent thought was important, poverty (nine per cent) and the environment (three per cent). A spokesman for Help The Aged said: "We are committed to stopping this abuse.

"We aim to get a 25,000-sig-nature petition so we have a strong case for demanding Government action."

The campaign is backed by campaign group Action on Elder Abuse which believes the mistreatment of thousands of elderly is the "last hidden scandal". It also comes after the Mirror exposed a sickening catalogue of torture, abuse and neglect in nursing homes.

Our 2004 investigation found cases like Honora Derham, 82, who died in agony after nursing home staff failed to notice bed sores were slowly rotting away her body.

And Dorothy Lyons, 76, was neglected so badly she weighed a mere 3st9lbs when she died in a care home.

Ministers have faced previous demands to tighten protection on the elderly.

But so far pressure groups say there has been little or no Government response.

 bob.roberts@mirror.co.uk

 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16616224%26method=full%26siteid=94762%26headline=exclusive%2d%2dhurt%2dthe%2daged-name_page.html