Are you worried about an Adult?
What is abuse?
Abuse exists in various forms and can be carried out by one or more people. In any form or situation, abuse is unacceptable and a violation of a person’s basic human rights.
Abuse can be:
- physical – hitting, slapping, pushing or physically restraining, or the mismanagement of medication
- emotional or psychological – shouting and swearing to make a person afraid
- sexual – unwanted touching, kissing or sexual intercourse
- financial – money or belongings taken under pressure or stolen
- neglectful – not being properly cared for, mismanaging medication or being denied privacy, choice or social contact
- discriminatory – suffering abuse or neglect on the grounds of religion, culture, gender, sexuality or disability
Abuse can take place in a person’s own home, in a residential home or a day centre or hospital. Unfortunately those being abused are often the least likely to bring the situation to anyone’s attention.
If you are concerned that an Adult is experiencing or at risk of harm, abuse or neglect please report it to your Wirral Local Authority area by returning to the home page and clicking on the link.
How to help lonely elderly people
- Start a conversation. Stop and talk. Don’t hurry them.
- Offer practical help, such as shopping, posting a letter, picking up prescriptions or walking their dog
- Offer to accompany them or give them a lift to medical appointments, the library, hairdressers or faith services
- Share your time – volunteer with an organisation that has befriending services matching you with an isolated elderly person for home visits or regular phone calls
- Help with household tasks – offer to take out the rubbish, change light bulbs, clear snow, put up pictures
- Share a meal – take round an extra plate of hot home-cooked food or a frozen portion
Source: NHS
… and lonely younger people
- Reach out. Arrange to meet face to face or talk on the phone
- Encourage people to start conversations, whether a short face-to-face chat or joining an online discussion
- Offer to go to a class or group activity with them
- Suggest they look for talking treatments in their local area to help them manage the mental health effects of loneliness or recommend an online support community
- Listen and don’t make assumptions. People can feel lonely even if it looks like they have a busy and full life
In an emergency always call 999.