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Recently, a video of abuse and assault at some elderly care facilities was released and shocked me. Due to the corona virus, it is difficult to visit family members, and the on-site inspection is also conducted non-face-to-face, so there is a loophole.



Reporter Hong Seung-yeon reports.



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Several people rushed in, grabbed the man in his 80s by the hair and shook him, and violence and tying continued for over 15 minutes.



It happened on the 29th of last month at a day care center in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, and as a result of the police investigation, the number of elderly victims increased to three.



Not long ago, at a nursing facility in Jeju, a scene where an elderly person with dementia in his 80s was thrown to the floor was captured on CCTV.



[Assault victim's family: As another victim appeared, I thought that it was clear that it was a habit. If that hadn't happened to my grandmother, she might still have been abused.]



It's fortunate that CCTV is installed.



3 out of 10 senior care facilities are located in blind spots without CCTV.



Even face-to-face meetings with family members have become difficult after the COVID-19 outbreak.



Most of the on-site inspections of local governments were also conducted non-face-to-face.



[Seogwipo City officials: Before, I went to the living room and saw the elderly, but these days... The

facility is also very careful and sensitive.]



Regular interviews with residents have also been suspended.



There are over 600 cases of abuse of the elderly in facilities alone per year, but the reality is estimated to be much higher.



[Cho Eui-su/Professor of Social Welfare Department, Silla University: Family access to the site has been severely restricted for almost two years, and the possibility of a more closed operation due to the quarantine system for the facility has increased.

There will be much more that is not revealed.]



The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that it is taking the recent abuse cases in elderly care facilities seriously, and that it will expand local senior protection agencies and dispatch dedicated personnel.



(Video coverage: Kyungmoon Jeong)