2015 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 123-130
According to the Law for Preventing the Abuse of Older People and Providing Assistance to Caregivers, the definition of ‘elder abuse’ includes physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. In addition, we should focus on ‘self-neglect’ which is associated with increased risk of mortality. Local governmental facilities for receiving reports, for the most part, accept reports only during daytime hours, not at night and on holidays. Each small area in a city has each phone number for reports of elder abuse. That means there are many different phone numbers depending on the areas where the abuses take place. Therefore, it is extraordinarily difficult for ordinary people to report an elder abuse appropriately, especially in an emergency situation. In Japan, it is often assumed that family members share their properties. This is not only a custom, but a regal reality. For example, in cases of public health insurance and long-term care insurance, if a member of a family cannot pay the premiums, other members in the same household have an obligation to pay them, instead of him or her. Due to this cultural and legal background, one can easily carry out financial exploitation, especially on dementiated ones. Furthermore, law enforcement authorities are extremely reluctant to prosecute a family member who is exploiting. In coping with elder abuse cases, it is very important to give assistance to family members, especially to the perpetrator.
