As many as half a million elderly people may be being abused, a House of Commons report says.
An inquiry found two-thirds of the cases of abuse occur in people’s own homes.
It took the form of sexual, physical and financial abuse, neglect and over-medication, the Commons Health Committee said.
The committee said: “Abuse of older people is a hidden, and often ignored, problem in society.”
As well as occurring in their own homes, abuse also happened in nursing homes, residential care, hospitals and sheltered housing, MPs said.
The elderly did not report much of the abuse because they were frightened, embarrassed or unable to, the report found.
Paul Burstow, a Liberal Democrat member of the Commons Health Committee, said: "The report must act as a wake-up call for a complacent government.
“Elder abuse is still a taboo and is all too often a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. It’s high time ministers stopped dithering and took this issue seriously.”
Simon Burns, for the Conservatives, said: “For too long, elderly abuse has been the problem that dare not speak its name.”
What is it with western culture they don`t respect the elderly and think it no problem firstly for the children to kick parents out of the home and put them in old peoples homes. Then as if this is not enough they start routinly abusing them.
In islam the parents are respected highly and for children to utter even one word out of anger to parents is looked down upon. I am sure there are instances in west where muslims who have been affected by western culture are also starting to abuse the elderly and parents. When i was in western countries I have seen when children start using f word against parents and i just don`t understand where these kids get the nerve to do these kind of things! That f word will later on in life turn from words into beatings and abuse of parents it clearly starts from a young age and the system has some serious flaws for this behaviour to take root.