Call for more help for silent victims

PA 177/10 "I have had major bone problems and an operation on my spine, and I am now questioning whether that was to do with the beatings?"..the words of a 63 year old woman who took part in new research just published, into the effects of domestic violence on older women. The year-long study by researchers at The University of Nottingham's Division of Nursing has concluded that more needs to be done to identify, support and protect these victims. Older women who suffer or have suffered domestic abuse are historically a silent section of society and this research set out to give them a voice and break the taboo surrounding the problem. The project was prompted by a previous scarcity of information on the experiences of older victims because most domestic violence surveys tend to focus on younger women. Researchers carried out in depth interviews with a sample of 16 women in the East Midlands area for the study which has just been published in the journal Nursing Older People. The women who took part in the survey were aged between 59 and 84. They had all experienced abusive behaviour from husbands or partners, some very recently, which had had adverse effects on their mental health and physical wellbeing well into later life.