Years of life peacefully surrounded by the loved ones is the dream of all those over 70. In Austria, however, the domestic environment is often a real nightmare for many older people. Confined to the role of chintzy, threatened and sometimes even beaten, more than living like sweet guests, in many families, grandparents are like virtual prisoners. Without any chance to escape. As in the former Felix Austria, unlike what happens for other victims of domestic violence, such as children or women, those perpetrated against the elderly are considered, in large part as a tough but necessary penalty. Imposed by the fact that co-existing, even if painfully, with children and grandchildren is just a lesser evil than the alternative of ending their days in a hospice or in total solitude. A truth confirmed by the recent report of the Austrian Red Cross, with the significant title “Breaking taboos” that stresses how, to date, the national social security system, rich and varied in many ways, does not provide specific institutions in support of senior determined to complain about mistreatment.
On the inside: