QUEZON CITY - Around one in six people aged 60 years or older have experienced some form of abuse over the past year, according to the World Health Organization.

Ahead of Elder Abuse Awareness Day, The Fred Hollows Foundation is calling for more community safeguards to protect older people with vision impairment from neglect and mistreatment.

The foundation is an international development organization working towards eliminating avoidable blindness. It can be found serving in 25 countries, including the Philippines.

Globally, 33.6 million or 78% of people who are blind are aged 50 or older.

Elder abuse can have severe physical, mental, economic and social consequences for older people, including physical injury, premature death, depression, cognitive decline, and economic loss.

The Foundation also said that by addressing the unique challenges faced by older adults with vision impairment we can help prevent elder abuse.

‘Invisible issue’

The number of Filipinos aged 60 years and above has doubled to 9.22 million in 2020 from only 4.6 million in 2000, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

According to the World Health Organization, elder abuse is a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person.

It can take various forms such as financial, physical, psychological, sexual and neglect.

The Foundation’s Senior Adviser for Healthy Ageing, Dr Vânia de la Fuente-Núñez, said elder abuse was one of the most hidden forms of abuse in society and older people with sight issues were most at risk of being harmed. 

“People with vision impairment often rely on others for assistance with daily activities, making them reliant on caregivers and increasing their vulnerability to abuse,” Dr de la Fuente-Núñez said. (The Fred Hallows Foundation)