Abstract
Objective
to characterize the reports of violence against older people made via the Dial 100 service in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil, between December 2018 and November 2019.
Methods
a cross-sectional study involving a descriptive analysis of data contained in excerpts from reports of violence made via the Dial 100 service was conducted and an exploratory spatial analysis carried out. The cities of residence of the victims, types of violence, place of occurrence and referrals to the Network for Securing Rights were analyzed, along with age, sex and race/color of both victims and suspected perpetrators, besides the relationship between them.
Results
In total, 878 reports of violence against 1,014 older people were registered, the majority in the city of Natal-RN (46.9%). The most prevalent complaints were neglect (77%), psychological violence (44.9%) and financial abuse (19%). Acts of violence were perpetrated predominantly in victims’ homes (95.3%) and affected mainly women (66.9%). Most suspected perpetrators were children of the victim (62.1%) and female (49.3%).
Conclusion
The results suggest a weakness in the family support/nucleus and the need for state assistance to deliver care in this context. In addition, the fact that the main forms of violence do not always leave physical evidence highlights the role of the population in helping to identify violence against the older population. Finally, the results suggest a lack of awareness about the Dial 100 service among residents in the interior of the state, pointing to the need for greater dissemination of the channels for denouncing violence against this group, allowing a more accurate analysis of the problem in the state and more effective actions to tackle the issue.
Keywords
Aged; Violence; Elder Abuse
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