Elder abuse allegations have risen more than ten-fold in the past decade with most mistreatment perpetrated by relatives, according to new statistics obtained by The Royal Gazette.

The National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged (NOSPC) received 66 reports of suspected abuse in 2007, compared to just six in 1998.

Officials — who received 19 reports of senior abuse in the first quarter of this year — say they now have the "teeth" to tackle the problem, thanks to new legislation which became law at the end of March.

Abusers, be they family members or professional carers, can be prosecuted for abuse or neglect of a vulnerable old person under the Senior Abuse Register Act 2008 and face a $10,000 fine, three years in jail or both if convicted.

The NOSPC has received 254 cases of alleged abuse since 1995, when the number of reports began to be documented.

The majority of cases — 102 — involve neglect, with 84 reports of verbal abuse, 33 of financial abuse, 23 of self-neglect and ten of physical abuse. There have been two reports of sexual abuse in that period — one in 2007 and one this year.

The office currently has 24 active cases and three victims of alleged abuse are awaiting placement in a residential care home.

The majority of alleged abusers are family caregivers, daughters, spouses and other relatives. Most victims are frail, have Alzheimer's Disease or dementia or a physical disability. Women are twice as likely to be abused than men, with those in their eighties most at risk.

Experts told this newspaper the figures released by the NOSPC don't reveal the true scale of elder abuse, as many instances of mistreatment go unreported.

Claudette Fleming, executive director of Age Concern, said the statistics were unsurprising. "I would imagine that they are just the tip of the iceberg, given Bermuda's current socio-economic climate," she said.

"To be sure, incidents of reporting have increased because awareness has increased, and with the introduction and public discussion over the Act, reporting of abuse is likely to increase even more."

Marian Sherratt, executive director of the Bermuda Council on Ageing, said: "The statistics, I think, barely scratch the surface. I don't think that they tell the full picture.

"I think to say we have 66 cases in a year is probably conservative. I think elder abuse is under-reported for fear of retribution.

"Seniors are so dependent on their family caregivers and careworkers in institutions that they are probably very reluctant to report abuse."

Officials attribute the rise in the number of allegations made in the last ten years to heightened public awareness about what constitutes elder abuse, rather than an actual increase in abuse.

The NOSPC received a flurry of reports after The Royal Gazette revealed the alleged neglect of 95-year-old Wilhelmina Liburd — known as Auntie Em — by her daughter last September.

These statistics don't reveal where abuse is occurring but since the majority of alleged perpetrators are relatives, it is likely to be in the family home.

Ms Sherratt said extended morbidity and the Island's growing elder population — seniors will make up almost a quarter of those living here by 2030 — meant more and more people were having to care for aged relatives.

"Often, a lone person is having to cope with medical conditions for which they are really not trained. Very often it's single women doing this and there may be chaos in the family home.

"You have a caregiver under stress and the potential for abuse is there. The caregiver needs help, they need support, they need education and they need respite to cope."

Ms Fleming said that though family members could be prosecuted and placed on the Senior Abuse Register under the new Act, there was nothing to deal with the rehabilitation of offenders.

"Preventing persons from working or having an interest in the care of seniors will only affect those in the industry. Those not in the industry — i.e. family members — which may actually be the bulk of abusers, do not appear to have a long-term deterrent or consequence."

Both women say the new law is a good first step — but Ms Sherratt added: "I think we have a lot of work to do, as do other jurisdictions. Bermuda is not alone in this."

NOSPC manager Melvin Dickinson said the Act would give his staff powers to intervene and hopefully provide seniors and the wider public with the confidence to report suspected abuse.

"We had a situation where because we didn't have the teeth of legislation, seniors were a bit timid to report," said Dr. Dickinson. "If they reported it, there was concern of retaliation.

"Now these persons will know we are investigating. People will see that this is the law and you can be punished. If you abuse a senior this could literally change the course of your life. Now we feel like we have teeth."

• To report suspected elder abuse call the NOSPC on 292-7802.