Rauf Oyewole
The Head of Geriatrician and a consultant at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Doctor Muhammad Dauda Haruna has decried the increasing abuse of elderly people in the Country.
Haruna, who is also a family physician at the Hospital, spoke on behalf of the Geriatric Department yesterday in commemoration of the World Elders Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) which is celebrated on 15th of June. He said that there is lack of awareness on the multifaceted abuse against elders in Nigeria, saying that much attention is only placed on child abuse and infant related issues.
According to him, elder abuse is any act either intentional or unintentional that can bring physical, emotional or psychological distress to an older person.
He highlighted the forms of abuse being faced by the senior citizens to include, pushing, pinching or kicking. Haruna said that “another form is financial abuse, when an elderly person is being cheated on or deprived of his financial rights. Many older people have had their bank booklet stolen and their money siphoned by their relatives, just because they suffer health conditions.
“Another terrible form is neglect. When they come to hospital or we visit we normally notice any older person that has been neglected by their children or relatives. They are prone to cognitive impairment, they are now weak, they probably can not do things on their own and their children have all neglected them. They defecate and urinate on themselves and these cause smell.
“Another important aspect is what we called Institutional Abuse, this normally comes when a retired person is being denied his retirement benefits and probably different types of sickness set in. They need money to take care of themselves but the same people who had laboured for years cannot be proud of access to good healthcare.”
The expert urged the government and other stakeholders to formulate policies targeted at reducing elder abuse. He said that healthcare facilities should be built to accommodate and be accessible for older vulnerable people.
He identified calling of bad names as emotional abuse, “Some people call them different bad names. Some call them witches and wizards. We have seen where they burn older people with tyres alive. Many of the elderly people were rejected by their own children just because they felt they are burdens on them.
“Spiritual abuse, many older people have been denied their spiritual beliefs. An elder may belief in a particular sect or a religion and possibly their children may belief in another faith, and deny them their faith and force them into theirs”
He faulted the system that compulsorily retires active senior citizens at age 60. He believed that adult cognitive abilities are not equal while some could work with their employers till age 70 or more.
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