This Wednesday, June 15, 2022, we are fighting against the mistreatment of the elderly, on the occasion of the world day dedicated to it.

An evil that concerns 600,000 seniors in France, and which has unfortunately made the headlines on several occasions in recent years: brown pensions, scandal of Orpea retirement homes…

Watch the report from Réunion La 1ère:

In order to free the floor among gramounes who would be victims of abuse, a preventive action was organized this Wednesday, June 15, world day of awareness on the abuse of the elderly.

There are different types of abuse. “There is physical, psychological, financial, medicinal, civic abuse…” explains Pascale Savoye, president of Alma Réunion, an association fighting against abuse of the elderly.

But at the border of mistreatment, there is also negligence.

There are two kinds of negligence: the active negligence of people who want to get rid of their parents “faster” and who will not do what is necessary to keep them in good condition, and then there is the negligence not active, which are a lack of help to the person through ignorance. People don’t know that when they act like that with their parents they’re going to hurt them, but you just have to tell them, and everything is back to normal.

Pascale Savoye, President of Alma Réunion

In Reunion, Alma (Allo Mistreatment), an association fighting against the mistreatment of the elderly, has a telephone listening unit for the victims themselves or witnesses of acts. For the facts to stop, it is necessary to be able to point them out, and therefore free speech.

This is why, on the occasion of this world awareness day against elder abuse, the Alma Réunion association was present this Wednesday in two senior residences in Bras-Panon, for an awareness-raising operation in partnership with ORIAPA and the CCAS.

Here, the residents say they are happy in any case. Thirty people aged at least 70 live independently, each in their own apartment.

Today in this residence, we are going to inform people of what we are doing, and also of what abuse they may be victims of, themselves, their neighbors, or someone in their family.

Pascale Savoye, Alma Reunion

The Alma association was able to define a “typical portraitof the elderly victim of abuse.

It is the fragile and vulnerable person, who has pathologies, who is of a certain age, and who lives with the family, who is the victim of this mistreatment.

Pascale Savoye, President of Alma Réunion

108 files were opened on the island last year, reporting acts of abuse. A figure on the increase, according to Alma Réunion.