23/04/2021
Abuse of Elders in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s ageing population is among the oldest in the non-developed world and also one of the fastest aging countries in the world. The elderly population (defined as people above the age of 65 years) of 1.7 million in 2001, is expected to rise to 3.6 million by 2021, and will comprise 16.7% of the total population. By 2041, one in every four Sri Lankan is expected to be elderly. According to population projections, at present, life expectancy of Sri Lankan females at birth is 77.2 years and males 69.2 years. At the same time the proportion of working age population will progressively decreasing in the coming decades, thus abuse to elders will become a significant problem due to increased life expectancy.
There is an absence of routine surveillance system related to elders and neglect in Sri Lanka and official statistics unfortunately do not capture the extent of abuse faced by elders. Thus, the magnitude of the issue is under reported and elders are left voiceless. A recent cross-sectional descriptive study at the North Colombo Teaching Hospital revealed that 38.5% of elders over 60 years attending the out-patient department were at high risk of abuse. Either physical, psychological, verbal or neglect was reported by 45% of elders while 5.6% of elders surveyed were physically abused. Screening tests revealed that the study population was vulnerable to psychological and financial abuse. According to the most recent National Report on Violence and Health in Sri Lanka, physical abuse is more likely to take place in institutions than at homes although independent empirical studies highlight that none of the victims were from institutions.
Gender has been a defining factor in elder abuse on the grounds that older women may have been subject to oppression and economically disadvantaged all of their lives. A study by Perera et.al (2010) in the Galle Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area found that a higher prevalence of abuse is reported among females. This is not unexpected as females tend to live longer and are more likely to be dependent on their caregivers or children. Although the prevalence rate in this study cannot be taken as the prevalence rate for Sri Lanka, it is an indication of similar rates in other Asian countries.
Financial abuse was the most common type of abuse reported. Some caregivers may suffer economic difficulties since they are compelled to resign from their jobs to care for their elderly relatives. These caregivers may then develop feelings of resentment because they have lost their source of income. Those parents with large families are at risk of psychological and financial abuse. This is in contrary to the traditional expectation that larger families would protect elders since they would have more to care for them. Given that most people expect to reside with their children and grandchildren, changing socioeconomic realities have resulted in young families adopting a nuclear family concept excluding older elders. Although financially well off older people could be vulnerable to financial abuse, frail older people with fewer financial resources are at further risk of neglect.
