Profile of Violence Against Older Individuals Registered at the Dial 100 in the Period 2011-2015 in Brazil

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the profile of the reports of violence and abuse against older people registered in the Dial 100 helpline from 2011 to 2015. METHODS: This was a descriptive, retrospective study, based on a sample of 130 164 denunciation reports of the Dial 100. The data collection considered the following variables: city, sex, age, race, place of abuse, type of abuse, and the victim's relationship with the suspect. RESULTS: The greatest number of reports was registered in the Southeast (42.27%), and the lowest in the North (6.79%). When we analyze the complaints per 100 000 inhabitants, we found as leading states in the ranking of complaints of violence against older people: Amazonas, Federal District, and Rio Grande do Norte. The main profile of possible victims was age from 76 to 80 years, predominantly women, and white. The main abusers were the victim's children and grandchildren. The most frequent type of abuse was negligence (36.72%), followed by psychological abuse (28.46%), and financial abuse (20.45%). CONCLUSION: The Dial 100 helpline is one of the most effective tools for breaking the silence and invisibility of abuse and violence against older adults, offering a panorama of abuse denunciation in our country.

Keywords

• aged
• violence
• older adult abuse