Protecting Elders and Senior Citizens from Abuse

Abuse of the elderly and senior citizens is often an unspoken issue in India. Compared to other kinds of abuse, senior citizen abuse is more hidden and often goes unreported. This is because of several reasons, the chief of which is that often the senior citizens live in the same household as and are dependent on their abusers. Additionally, the senior citizens may be unfamiliar with the procedures for reporting abuse or fearful of the police and other government agencies. They may be ignorant of the laws such as Senior Citizen Protection Act, the senior citizen helplines and the organizations like HelpAge India that are available for their benefit.

In this book, we focus on the problem of elderly abuse specifically in India and discuss about some practical steps and support available for senior citizens. It is hoped that this will enable the senior citizens and their well-wishers to better access the available support.