Executive Summary
Statistics released by NMT and Bengaluru City Police on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day reveal stark numbers on elderly neglect and abuse.
Published in The New Indian Express
Original article clipping preserved from The New Indian Express archival records (16 June 2022).
Full Story & Transcribed Coverage
Elders' Helpline: 80% of calls are of abuse
Statistics released by Nightingales Medical Trust, an NGO working for the well-being of the elderly, and Bengaluru City Police show one in five elders has been through some type of abuse.
The Covid-19 lockdowns drastically increased abuse against elders. Releasing statistics for World Elders' Abuse Awareness Day, Dr Radha S Murthy, co-founder and managing trustee of Nightingales Medical Trust, said: "Eighty per cent of the complaints received from senior citizens on the Elders' Helpline are related to abuse."
The day also marked 20 years of Elders' Helpline (1090), set up for elders in distress as a joint project of NMT and Bengaluru City Police. In 20 years, they received over 2,35,541 calls in Bengaluru.