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Japanese
Group Seeks to Prevent Abuse of Elderly
Daily Yomiuri
June 23, 2003 Japan - An association to engage in educational activities and conduct research to prevent the neglect and abuse of elderly people will be launched in August, the first such organization in this country. The Japan association for the prevention of abuse of the elderly aims to protect the human rights of elderly people who have been abused and promote measures to assist families and nursing-care service providers. Home nursing care institutions and consultation centers have received many reports about elderly people whose families, unable to cope with the burden of looking after them, physically abuse them or cease caring for them. The association is expected to study the state of abuse of the elderly in this country and consider preventative measures. In addition, it intends to hold a workshop outlining steps that should be taken when suspected cases of elderly abuse come to light. It is hoped the association's establishment will lead to wider awareness of elderly abuse, an issue that has largely remained out of the public eye until now. Tokyo Medical and Dental University Prof. Kinuko Takasaki, one of the members responsible for establishing the association, said, "I want the association to focus on concrete actions." Accordingly, the association, which will feature researchers and academics, is also calling on government officials, home helpers, visiting nurses and officials of institutions that provide home nursing care to become involved. Laws aimed at protecting the elderly from abuse have been enacted in the United States and other countries, but Japan only recently commenced a nationwide study of the situation and is lagging behind other nations in establishing measures to deal with the problem. The association plans to press the government and the Diet to enact legislation prohibiting elderly abuse. Such legislation would clearly define what constitutes abuse, stipulate emergency intervention and make the reporting of cases of abuse when they are discovered mandatory. An international symposium to commemorate the association's foundation will be held on Aug. 9 at Nihon University's College of Humanities and Sciences. Experts from Denmark Germany and the United States have been invited to attend the symposium, which will feature a discussion on structures and legal systems in place in each country to prevent elderly abuse. Admission is 1,000 yen and reservations are not necessary. For more information, fax Prof. Soji Tanaka of Nihon University at (03) 5317-9423. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
