A Study of the Abusive Treatment of the Elderly in Homes by Family in Japan
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the abusive treatment of the elderly in Japan after a new health insurance system was implemented in 2000. After interviewing 27 health and welfare care workers in northern Japan, 48 cases of abuse were found. Among these 48 patients many endured several forms of abusive treatment. In total there were 84 incidents of abuse among 48 patients. Among these 84 incidents of abuse, 31 involved neglect, 14 involved physical violence, and 13 involved some forms of emotional abuse. Five were economically related, and another five were self-abuse, although none were sexually related. Since the implementation of the health insurance system ”Kaigo-Hoken”, many families use home visiting services, but one-third of families have rely completely on the professional service workers, whereby patients get no assistance from family members. Many care workers cannot intervene because of the absence of proper legal sanction, and they experience a dilemma even when the life of elderly people are in danger. In conclusion, this study finds that, in addition to establishing protective laws concerning the appropriate treatment of the elderly population, it is also necessary for care workers to develop better assessment tools and counseling skills, in order to counter this problem.