30 June 2004

Elderly Living In Fear Of Abuse

New Zealand First social services spokesperson Bill Gudgeon is concerned at a fresh report that a number of elderly people are living in fear of being abused by the people that they know and love.

Mr Gudgeon’s concerns follow a recent report to the Counties Manukau District Health Board, which revealed evidence from Age Concern that elderly abuse and neglect is a serious reality.

“Around 40 cases of financial abuse were reported to Age Concern last year. The total number is believed to be many times higher than this because older people have been reluctant to report their concerns,” Mr Gudgeon said.

“What sort of deterrents are there to the growing number of carers, family and friends who steal from the elderly?

“This is criminal behaviour, and the offenders face community service or reparation payments that are less than the amounts reportedly being defrauded.

“Elderly are having their pensions, their life savings taken from them, and nothing is being done to stop it,” said Mr Gudgeon.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>