Islington Adult Social Services is joining forces with health colleagues and the police to tackle abuse of vulnerable adults in Islington.<br><br>At the launch of a new adult protection document for staff across the council, the police, housing, health and mental health services - three numbers were published for people to call if they suspect someone is being abused. The numbers are the council's own, the police's and the charity Action on Elder Abuse.<br><br>And to support the council's priorities in this area, Islington has employed an Adult Protection Co-ordinator - one of 85 local authorities to do so.<br><br>It is likely that abuse of half a million older people may go unreported in England because people are too frightened or embarrassed to tell someone. The abuse can include, swearing, shouting, threats, hitting or fraud.<br><br>It is a very difficult message for people to take in since nobody wants to believe that an older or vulnerable person is being harmed by their own carers or relatives. Vulnerable older people are those who cannot defend themselves due to their age or health.<br><br>The council wishes to ensure any form of abuse is reported, raise awareness that it will be investigated and taken very seriously.<br><br>Cllr Meral Ece, Executive Member for Adult Social Services, said: <br><br>"Elder abuse can come from a variety of people and can show itself in a number of ways but like child abuse it is most common within families. It can range from someone being a victim of fraud [see case study below] to something more serious like physical or sexual abuse.<br><br>We’re making a commitment to working with other local organisations and members of the public to say that the abuse of our vulnerable older people is unacceptable and must stop. <br><br>The public can help us by reporting what they see. If you are concerned about a person who you suspect is being abused, don’t ignore it. Ring one of the numbers below in confidence for advice and information."<br><br>1. Islington Social Services - 020 7527 2299<br>Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm (Nightime and weekend service - 020 7226 0992)<br><br>2. Islington Police - 020 7704 1212<br>24 hours a day<br><br>3. Action on Elder Abuse - 080 8808 8141<br>Freephone helpline in confidence - Mon – Fri 10am–4.30pm<br><br><br>Last year Islington’s adult social work teams carried out over 100 investigations into allegations of abuse many of which led to vulnerable adults being protected from further abuse.<br><br>ends<br><br>Notes to Editor: <br><br>1. Action on Elder Abuse has found that abuse for older people is most likely to happen in people’s own homes, often by someone they know.<br>2. Case Study: Financial Abuse of an older person by a friend, names have been changed to safeguard anonymity. An 85-year-old woman, Mabel, was living alone with daily visits from a home carer, Anne, to help her wash and dress. She was also having weekly visits from a friend Jo. Over a short time Anne noticed that there was often no milk to make Mabel a cup of tea and that the fridge had no food in it at the end of the week. Anne asked Mabel if she could go out and get some shopping for her. Mabel said she didn’t have any money in her purse as Jo never gave her any change after collecting her shopping. Anne asked Mabel if she could pass this information onto her manager and then request a social worker to visit her. Mabel was upset at first but then agreed as she said she couldn’t continue to manage in this way. Mabel said she knew that what Jo was doing was wrong but she hadn’t been able to mention it to Jo because she was worried that Jo would stop visiting her and she didn’t want to lose her friend. The social worker visited and Mabel admitted that her pension was being paid into Jo’s bank account and she would rather make other plans to have it collected and for getting her shopping. Mabel was able to have a giro issued each week which her home carer now collects. Jo still visits Mabel and has agreed to repay the money in regular small amounts.
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009