Elderly abuse at facilities in Japan up 30% to record high, over 1,000 cases, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Reports

From Jiji via Yahoo! Japan

December 27 2024

TOKYO – In fiscal year 2023, the number of cases in which elderly individuals were abused by staff at care facilities increased by 31.2% compared to the previous year, reaching 1,123 cases, according to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare released on the 27th.

This marks the third consecutive year of record-high figures and the first time the number has exceeded 1,000 since the survey began in fiscal year 2007.

There were 2,335 identified victims of abuse by staff. The most common type of abuse was “physical abuse” at 51.3%, followed by “psychological abuse” at 24.3%. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare believes some cases are due to a lack of staff knowledge and insufficient education provided by the facilities.

Abuse by family members or relatives increased by 2.6% from the previous year to 17,100 cases. The most common perpetrators were “sons” (38.7%) and “husbands” (22.8%). Major factors included “dementia symptoms in the victims” and “caregiver fatigue or stress” on the part of the perpetrators.