Abuse of Elders
Efforts under way to stem abuse of elderly
"While Japan's aging population is usually talked of in terms of rising welfare expenditures and the financial burden it will impose on future generations, recently a new problem has emerged: abuse of the elderly.
Lawyers and other experts handling the issue say that compared with child or spouse abuse, abuse of the elderly tends to take longer to surface, in part because the elderly feel responsible when the violence is inflicted by their offspring, and also because the government and local administrators have so far failed to address the problem.
The Japan Federation of Bar Associations submitted a proposal to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in October with an eye to obliging authorities to get tough on abuse.
Its 54-page recommendation refers to the need to help not only victims but also the perpetrators -- in most cases, a member of the victims' family experiencing mental, physical and economic hardship as a result of caring for their elderly relative.
The nationwide lawyer group has already briefed ministry and local government officials and called on them to establish a law -- along the lines of the Child Abuse Prevention Law instituted in 2000 and the Domestic Violence Prevention Law in 2001 -- to crack down on elder abuse.
According to a nationwide poll taken by the Institute for Health Economies and Policy on behalf of the welfare ministry and released in April -- Japan's first survey of elder abuse -- 11 percent of those responding who have suffered abuse have been in a life-threatening situation.
Sons were responsible for the abuse in 32 percent of the cases, followed by daughters-in-law and spouses, each at 20 percent. About 64 percent of the cases involved mental abuse, including yelling or willful neglect, 52 percent involved denying meals or other forms of care and 50 percent included beating people or tying them to their bed.
The average age of the victims was 81.6, with women accounting for 76 percent of the total. The survey covered 1,991 abused seniors as reported by licensed care managers, including doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals..."
The Japan Times, January 6, 2005
"While Japan's aging population is usually talked of in terms of rising welfare expenditures and the financial burden it will impose on future generations, recently a new problem has emerged: abuse of the elderly.
Lawyers and other experts handling the issue say that compared with child or spouse abuse, abuse of the elderly tends to take longer to surface, in part because the elderly feel responsible when the violence is inflicted by their offspring, and also because the government and local administrators have so far failed to address the problem.
The Japan Federation of Bar Associations submitted a proposal to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in October with an eye to obliging authorities to get tough on abuse.
Its 54-page recommendation refers to the need to help not only victims but also the perpetrators -- in most cases, a member of the victims' family experiencing mental, physical and economic hardship as a result of caring for their elderly relative.
The nationwide lawyer group has already briefed ministry and local government officials and called on them to establish a law -- along the lines of the Child Abuse Prevention Law instituted in 2000 and the Domestic Violence Prevention Law in 2001 -- to crack down on elder abuse.
According to a nationwide poll taken by the Institute for Health Economies and Policy on behalf of the welfare ministry and released in April -- Japan's first survey of elder abuse -- 11 percent of those responding who have suffered abuse have been in a life-threatening situation.
Sons were responsible for the abuse in 32 percent of the cases, followed by daughters-in-law and spouses, each at 20 percent. About 64 percent of the cases involved mental abuse, including yelling or willful neglect, 52 percent involved denying meals or other forms of care and 50 percent included beating people or tying them to their bed.
The average age of the victims was 81.6, with women accounting for 76 percent of the total. The survey covered 1,991 abused seniors as reported by licensed care managers, including doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals..."
The Japan Times, January 6, 2005
<< Home