Social worker Maria Camilleri

Social worker Maria Camilleri, who has been working with old people for two decades, believes elderly abuse is on the increase and laws are urgently needed to address the situation.

The main forms of abuse remain emotional and financial, however, she has noticed cases are happening more often, something she attributes to materialistic attitudes and diminishing values.

“The problem is just set to get worse given that we have an ageing population,” explains Ms Camilleri, who is involved in the Maltese Association for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.

For some it becomes an everyday thing and they don’t realise they are being abused

Ms Camilleri started off as a casual social assistant, helping older people cope with their chores at home. Eventually, she studied social work and went on to specialise in the care of the elderly.

Sitting in her office within the grounds of St Luke’s Hospital, she pours out examples of abuse cases she has encountered.

One that remains etched in her memory was an old woman who had an intellectual disability and was taken to a residential home by her relatives, as they were worried about leaving her at home alone.

While she was there another woman convinced her that a foreign man wanted to marry her and would support her.

She married the man at the civil registry without telling any of her family, but the marriage of convenience caused her to lose precious social benefits.

When her relatives found out they were livid and reported the matter to police.

In another example, a Maltese couple befriended an elderly man who suffered from dementia. They lived with him and withdrew money from his bank account.

They locked him in his home when they went out and, when social workers were informed and went on site, they could hear him banging as he tried to get out. He could not speak up about what happened due to his dementia.

There were also cases of revenge abuse. In one case social workers were alerted to an old woman who had been left at home in a bed soaked in urine.

She lived with her son and it transpired that he had been neglected as a child and was paying his mother back for those horrible days.

“We need laws that specifically protect elderly people,” Ms Camilleri insisted.

Under Maltese law a person convicted of committing a crime against the elderly gets a harsher punishment but Ms Camilleri believes more is needed.

She also believes there is a need to educate people, including older people themselves, about what constitutes abuse.

“For some it becomes an everyday thing and they don’t realise they are being abused,” she said adding there was little research in this area.

She also spoke about the need for clear standards of care in homes, something the government was working on, and improving services for the elderly by making daycare centres accessible to those who found it difficult to leave their home.

“We need to get them out of their homes and in a place where they feel safe speaking up, if they are victims of abuse,” she said.

Victims can contact NGO Victim Support Malta, in confidence, on 2122 8333. The NGO recently embarked on a project targeting elderly abuse.

ccalleja@timesofmalta.com