About Hourglass
We are Hourglass
We are the only UK-wide charity dedicated to ending the abuse, harm and exploitation of older people.
At least one in six older people experience abuse. That’s millions of people across the UK, most often behind closed doors, and most often at the hands of someone they know and trust.
For more than 30 years, we’ve been working to change that. Today, we are supporting more older victim-survivors than at any point in our history.
But the reality is simple. Abuse in later life remains largely hidden, poorly understood, and too often overlooked by the systems designed to respond to it.
Our mission is to change that. For good.
What we do
We support older people facing abuse, and those worried about them, while working to create a safer ageing society.
At the heart of our work is our free and confidential 24/7 helpline. Last year alone, we responded to more than 23,000 contacts from older people, families and professionals seeking advice and support.
But we are more than a helpline.
We provide specialist frontline support through casework and advocacy. Our teams work alongside older people navigating complex and often high-risk situations, supporting them over sustained periods to improve safety, independence and wellbeing. On average, people we support through casework stay with us for nearly three months.
We also deliver training, produce research, and challenge the ageism that allows abuse in later life to go unseen.
Because support alone isn’t enough. The system has to change too.
Where we work
We are a UK-wide organisation, working across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Our services reach thousands of people every year, with the majority of those we support based in England, alongside growing work across the devolved nations.
We combine national reach with local partnerships, working with police, health services, safeguarding teams and community organisations to ensure older victim-survivors can access support wherever they live.
What we stand for
We believe that growing older should never mean becoming more vulnerable to harm.
Our vision is a society where older people are safe, valued and treated with dignity, and where abuse is recognised, challenged and prevented.
That means:
- Ending the abuse, harm, exploitation and neglect of older people
- Ensuring older victim-survivors can access specialist support
- Improving the response across safeguarding and criminal justice systems
- Challenging the attitudes and assumptions that allow abuse to be dismissed or ignored
We are working towards a future where safer ageing is the norm, not the exception.
Why it matters
Abuse in later life does not look the way people expect.
It is far less likely to involve a stranger. It is far more likely to involve family. Adult children alone account for a significant proportion of alleged perpetrators.
It rarely happens in public spaces. In almost 9 out of 10 cases, it takes place in the victim-survivor’s own home.
And it is often not recognised as abuse at all. Economic exploitation may be dismissed as a family disagreement. Injuries explained away as accidents. Signs of coercion mistaken for frailty or confusion.
More than half of older victim-survivors report barriers to seeking help. Many are afraid to act. Many do not want to criminalise their own family.
This is why abuse in later life remains hidden. And why it is so often missed.
