The abuse of elderly people has become increasingly serious. It is necessary to proceed with building a system under which elderly people can receive proper care.
Most notably, abuse by staff members working at facilities such as special nursing homes for senior citizens cannot be overlooked. According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the number of abuse cases that occurred at such places in fiscal 2018 reached a record high of 621, a nearly threefold increase over five years.
In some of the cases, abusers deliberately bumped into elderly people to knock them down, while in others, perpetrators scalded people with hot water while they were bathing them. Such physical abuse accounts for nearly 60% of cases. There are also many cases of psychological abuse, such as ridiculing people when they accidentally spill their food while eating, as well as the abandonment of nursing care responsibilities.
More than 80% of the victims have dementia. People who put elderly family members into nursing care homes find it difficult to bring up possible abuse even if they notice signs of mistreatment because many of them feel they are indebted to the facilities for looking after their family members. There is no denying that abuse cases detected at such facilities are just the tip of the iceberg.
It has been pointed out that a lack of knowledge and skills has contributed to the abuse of elderly people by nursing care staff, some of whom fail to give proper care and become increasingly irritated with the people they are supposed to be helping. Inconsiderate comments or behavior can hurt elderly people and lead to further abuse.
A nursing care facility operator said: "Due to the heavy burden on staff working at nursing homes, care workers tend to leave the job after a short period of time. So, we have no option but to rely on inexperienced workers to care for residents in need of specialized care."
Anger control necessary
Local governments should cooperate with nursing care home operators to strengthen training programs and improve the skills of workers at such facilities.
In order to prevent abuse from taking place, it is also essential for caregivers to learn how to control their emotions.
Sompo Care Inc., a Tokyo-based nursing home operator, teaches its employees how to stay calm by such means as taking a deep breath or leaving a space if emotions start to rise.
The company has received responses from employees saying they have been able to calmly deal with elderly people since the training.
It is important to establish a counseling system for employees, many of whom suffer from stress and experience problems due to their hectic jobs.
The number of cases of elderly abuse by family members exceeded 17,000 in fiscal 2018. Cases in which male caregivers such as sons and husbands are the perpetrators account for 60%. By age bracket, cases most commonly involve abusers in their 50s.
When caregivers are men, the burden of nursing care tends to weigh heavily on them, as they are not skilled at housework. Some say that those who had devoted their lives to their work tend to become isolated because they have little connection with their neighbors.
The use of public-run nursing care insurance services should be promoted so that they can receive housework support. A place where caregivers can gather and talk about their concerns should also be created. Local governments are urged to establish measures to create an environment in which caregivers are not isolated.
-- This article appeared in the print version of The Yomiuri Shimbun on Feb. 24, 2020.
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