REALITIES AND CHALLENGES OF ELDER ABUSE REPORTED TO THE POLICE
2024

Elder Abuse Reports and Their Substantiation

Sample size: 171 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Suda Hitoshi, Wada Tadashi, Satoh Kana, Uehara Tamiko

Primary Institution: Seitoku University

Hypothesis

Does an increase in police reports of elder abuse correlate with an increase in substantiated cases of elder abuse?

Conclusion

The increase in police reports does not necessarily indicate an increase in cases substantiated as elder abuse.

Supporting Evidence

  • 73 out of 171 elder abuse cases were reported by the police.
  • Only 13 out of 73 police-reported cases were substantiated as elder abuse.
  • Children were the most common perpetrators in 47.9% of the cases.

Takeaway

More people are reporting elder abuse to the police, but most of these reports don't actually lead to cases being confirmed as elder abuse.

Methodology

Data from fiscal year 2019 in Matsudo City was analyzed, focusing on 171 elder abuse cases.

Limitations

The study highlights the limited definitions of elder abuse under the current Act.

Participant Demographics

The study involved elder abuse cases reported to the police in Matsudo City, with common perpetrators being children and spouses.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.1850

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