Idosos Vítimas de Maus-Tratos Domésticos: estudo exploratório das informações levantadas nos serviços de denúncia

Older persons abuse is not a new phenomenon. Elder people are victims of different types of violence. They range from being insulted and beaten by their relatives and caregivers (domestic violence), to abuse suffered at public transportation and institutions (social violence). Even though Brazilian legislation is well developed, only after the Elder Individual Act (Estatuto do Idoso) it became mandatory for health professionals and for any citizen to report cases of elder abuse. However, is unknow how are elder advocacy services equipped. Are there specific elderly advocacy services throughout Brazil? Are citizens and health professionals fulfilling their duty to report any sort of violence? What type of violence is most often reported? This exploratory study seeks to answer some of the above questions. With this purpose in mind, a preliminary assessment was made about availability and operation of telephone help-line services for older persons, called in Portuguese Disque Idoso. The study found different forms of domestic violence against older persons. The most frequent type of abuse found in the study is abandonment of elderly individuals. This suggests lack of information and proper ability of the family to care for them. On the other hand, public policies are ineffective or even non-existent, to support families and older persons.