All around New Zealand we are questioning the sentencing of the two people responsible for the death of little Moko Rangitoheriri, yet on June 15 elder abuse was swept under the table.

What happened to little Moko was dreadful, but it’s not the only abuse problem going on in our country. Multiply the suffering of Moko by tens of thousands of examples and you may understand how widespread this problem is.

I’ve heard all the excuses: that elder abuse doesn’t happen in NZ, that we treat our parents with respect, we visit her once a week as that is all we can take... The list goes on.

There have been several studies showing that our elders face more issues with abuse than the children in our community.  Remember abuse can come in a myriad of forms including psychological abuse, financial abuse, physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse and institutional abuse. One Ministry of Health report notes that elder abuse, like partner abuse and child abuse, “is largely hidden, private and underreported.”

Our Councils in Northland generally do good things for the elderly, providing rates rebates for those who own their own home and are in the lower income bracket, plus in Whangarei there is free parking for anyone over 70.  However when councils put pressure on older people to sell their properties and when councils don’t provide rebates because both partners are still alive, that comes across as bullying to me.

There are several organisations that deal with elder abuse around Whangarei and Northland (their addresses are here.) They could tell you some terrible stories of what happens behind closed doors.

So if you know of an issue within the community, please contact either Age Concern on 09-438 8043 or the Northland DHB on 09-430 4100

Age Concern receives an average of eight abuse reports a day. That’s the equivalent of a fresh case coming in every working hour. Abuse of all kinds needs to be stopped. Let’s defend our senior citizens. And councils: Please do what you can. WDC’s Positive Ageing Advisory Group is a good start.