“Without awareness raising there can be no recognition of abuse. That really is the first step,” according to Prof Eleanor Bantry White, University College Cork (UCC), addressing a recent gathering in Kilkenny marking National Safeguarding Day. Over 200 delegates attended the event organised by the HSE Safeguarding and Protection Team, Amber Women’s Refuge and the School of Applied Social Studies in University College Cork (UCC).  In her opening presentation, Prof White, UCC, said they were “very proud to be raising awareness about the area of adult safeguarding - contributing to embedding a safeguarding culture that promotes openness, has a zero tolerance approach to any form of abuse, and gives voice to those who may be suffering abuse.”

Adding her overview, Jean Murphy, Assistant Manager, Amber Women’s Refuge, noted how “over the last year, we have seen an increase in the number of women over 60 years of age seeking support, especially in our emergency refuge service. This event presents an important opportunity to shine a light on these experiences and communicate how best to support victim-survivors of domestic violence and abuse from this age profile.”

Rob O’Connor, Principal Social Worker, HSE South East Safeguarding and Protection Team, stressed that “talking about the rights and welfare of adults at risk of harm is so important. The abuse of adults is unfortunately an issue that is on the rise in Ireland and across the world. The HSE National Safeguarding Office figures for 2023 tell us that almost 18,000 safeguarding concerns were reported to HSE Safeguarding and Protection Teams nationally and this was an increase of almost 20% from the year before. However, a positive that we can take from this increase in numbers is that it also shows that more adult abuse is being recognised and reported to the services who can provide help for those who need it.”

The event heard from a variety of professionals across a broad spectrum of agencies and organisations. Anita Duffy, Our Lady’s Hospice and Adjunct Assistant Professor, UCD School of Nursing, provided a focus on mapping the evidence of elder abuse in residential care settings for older adults. The voice of one individual service user was also heard when Jean Murphy and Anita Daly gave a presentation entitled “It’s Never Too Late,” focusing on the experience of a brave and honest older adult survivor of domestic violence.