Elder Abuse Under reported - Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun


A survey conducted on behalf of the central government earlier this year indicates that instances of abuse of elderly nursing care patients by their caregivers is vastly underreported.
Elderly people suffered mistreatment inflicted by staff at nursing care facilities nationwide in at least 498 cases in fiscal 2006, according to the central government's first survey on abuse of the elderly at such facilities.


The figure is nearly 10 time more of the 53 cases reported in fiscal 2006 to municipal governments across the country.
The survey also showed that about 70 percent of nursing care facility staff did not know the content of the law designed to prevent abuse of the elderly, making clear that the law's object is not thoroughly understood.
Coming into effect in April 2006, the law defines abuse and stipulates caregivers' obligation to report it to municipal government authorities.
The survey was conducted in February by the Sendai Dementia Care Research and Training Center in cooperation with other institutions on behalf of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
Caregivers and those in charge of overseeing them at 9,082 nursing homes and health care facilities for the elderly were asked to answer a questionnaire.
Presenting the definition of abuse against the elderly, the survey asked caretakers to give answers on the situation at their facilities between April and December last year.
Of those surveyed, 22 percent of those in charge and 21 percent of caregivers responded.
As for types of abuse, psychological abuse, such as abusive language and neglect, topped the list with 190 cases, followed by 131 cases of physical abuse, 101 cases of unnecessary physical restrictions or use of restraints such as binding elderly patients to their beds, and 81 cases of abandonment of care.
Abuse of elderly patients by caregivers has been reported in various parts of the country.
It was revealed in August last year that an elderly woman was verbally abused by male caregivers in a special nursing home for the elderly in Higashi-Yamato, Tokyo.


In Hokkaido, instances of abuse of dementia patients came to light at a group home. Caregivers at the facility reportedly abused the patients by forcing them to sit in the hall. Following the revelation, the Hokkaido government revoked the facility's license.


Asked about why such abuse took place, 47 percent of the caregivers answered that it had something to do with their own personality problems while 43 percent said that they lacked knowledge and awareness of what constituted abuse.


The survey showed that two out of three caregivers at such facilities did not know what is written in the law to protect elderly people from abuse. Moreover, among caregivers with less than two years of experience, 20 percent said they did not know the law even existed.
The law obliges staff at such nursing care facilities to report abuse to municipal governments.
However, only slightly more than 1 percent of the caregivers had reported cases of abuse to municipal governments, and the figure among supervisors was 7 percent.


"The nature of abuse inflicted by nursing care facility staff is far graver than abuse by family members," said Soji Tanaka of the Japanese Center for the Prevention of Elderly Abuse, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization.
"I was surprised to see the low awareness on the part of those working at such facilities. I believe it's necessary to [raise their awareness] through education on human rights, including preventing abuse," he added.

SOURCE: The Yomiuri Shimban

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Yet another report that echo the findings of similar studies made in other countries. Elder abuse IS under-reported. Governments must work to raise awareness about Elder Abuse. If there were laws in place to punish elder abusers; potential abusers will think twice before acting.