Elderly people 'impacted by anti-social behaviour'

New research has highlighted that elderly individuals are concerned about the anti-social behaviour which is occurring within their communities.

The Changing Ageing Partnership (CAP) at the Institute of Governance, Queen's University Belfast aimed to assess whether the stereotype of elderly individuals being "easy targets" for anti-social behaviour is true and to what extent they are affected by such actions.

"Findings to date indicate that the impact of anti-social behaviour on older members of our community is very real, immediate and long-lasting. It is a problem that must be addressed sooner rather than later," stated Brendan Sturgeon, the PhD student who conducted the research.

Mr Sturgeon also claimed that the British Crime Survey shows nine per cent of elderly women stay at home as they fear being the victim of crime.

The full findings of the research will be published next year.

In related news, Help the Aged is launching a new viral film to support its campaign to make discrimination against the elderly illegal.

The charity's film, which spoofs 1950s public service announcements, will be distributed on viral channels such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace over the next six weeks.