There have been many cases of family members abusing elderly relatives under their care. There is an urgent need to prevent the isolation of families that take care of elderly relatives.
According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the number of cases in which elderly people being cared for by family members or relatives were abused in their homes reached 17,281 in fiscal 2020. The figure, which is the number of cases recognized by municipal governments based on reports from police and other entities, is the highest logged since the ministry started conducting such surveys in 2006.
The number of people who died rose to 25, 10 more than the previous fiscal year. There have been a series of tragic incidents, such as an elderly man who strangled to death his dementia-suffering wife because he was exhausted from taking care of her.
