Domestic violence against the elderly – a modern challenge to social aid

Domestic violence against elderly family members is one of the many problems faced by the social aid system in Poland. It seems to have increased in recent years, which may be due to greater social awareness of the problem and the functioning of institutions providing aid in such cases, or to the growing courage of victims. It is reasonable to assume that the problem will only increase, as the society ages and the numbers of elderly increase and as the elderly themselves become more aware of their rights. The legal system has to be ready for this. The aim of the article is to explain why domestic violence against the elderly is a modern challenge for the social aid system. The problem will be presented in relation to research done in social aid institutions in Podlasie, presenting the scale of the problem of violence against the elderly, the characteristics of the victims and suggestions for improvements to existing regulations.