The organisation held a function to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day yesterday, and social worker Marie Bennett told the Otago Daily Times that referrals were "through the roof".
On average, she received three referrals of abuse each week, although she had received seven this week.
Elder abuse could include physical, emotional or financial abuse, with the latter making up 50% of cases.
While case numbers were on the increase, Mrs Bennett believed it was because of an increased awareness of the issue, rather than in increase in abuse.
Age Concern Otago chairman Stan Rodger said the organisation devoted "a lot of time and effort to overcoming this condition that is so widespread".
"I believe that society is becoming increasingly sensitised to the issues of child abuse, and rightly so, [but] it is not quite sensitised to the wide-ranging elder abuse that exists within our society.
"It is not a socioeconomic question, because it runs right across the board and impacts on a large number of elderly people ... and we've got to be alert to that and proactive in overcoming this dreadful state of affairs," he said.
