A case study of elder abuse

1. Isolation
An elderly gentleman and his wife had no children. When the
wife died, the husband was alone. The backdoor neighbours
put a stile over the fence, so they could have easy access to
‘help’ him with chores. But they did not stop there; they
helped themselves to everything he had. They acquired his
power of attorney and then put the house up for sale.
An elderly woman down the road thought she had not seen
him for some time, so she rang the local police. They found
him dehydrated and starving. He died five days later in
hospital.

2. “That’s the really end-form of elder abuse, of neglect, isolation. It really
is everybody’s business because that woman, had she known or said
something a bit earlier that she hadn’t seen him, he may have been
protected. So, isolation and loneliness is a major, major factor,”
Patterson said.