Training and guidance on identifying signs of domestic abuse should be provided to health professionals, Age UK said on International Human Rights Day (10 December).
Citing a rise in domestic abuse incidents during the pandemic, Age UK said older people were often overlooked in discussions about it. It was only in October, following a campaign by the charity, that domestic abuse data began to be collected on people aged 75 and over.
“Health professionals should be trained to have conversations about domestic abuse with older patients and direct them to appropriate support where this is wanted and needed,” Age UK said.
In 2019, over 189,000 women in the UK between the ages of 16 and 74 reported that they had experienced domestic abuse.