Mistreatment of the elderly on the rise

Santo Domingo, DR
The National Council received at least 259 complaints of abuse and mistreatment of older adults for the Elderly (Conape) in the first six months of this year.

Among the most common cases of abuse reported to the state agency are family conflicts, psychological mistreatment, abandonment, and violation of property rights. However, we also receive economic and physical injustice, negligence, and neglect reports.

The details were offered by Conape executives this past Wednesday during the commemoration of the World Day of Awareness on Abuse and Mistreatment of the Elderly, where the director of the organization, Dr. Jose Garcia Ramirez, took the opportunity to ask the members of Congress to modify the Law 352-97 on the Protection of the Elderly because it has no regime of consequences or sanctions established for those who violate its provisions.

The data on the cases of denunciations were offered by Yiseel Alcántara, in charge of the Department of Denunciations and Follow-up of Cases of CONAPE. She revealed that between January and June of this year, 2022, the agency had received 259 complaints of abuse and mistreatment of older adults, of which 85% have been resolved, and the remaining 39, representing 15% of the same, are in the process of follow-up.

Attorney Danissa Cruz, in charge of the special prosecutor’s office for the elderly, cited that the risk factors that can lead to abuse and mistreatment of the elderly are dependency, disability, psychological disorders, and social isolation.