Tragedy of Elderly Care: Elderly Woman Bludgeons Ill Husband to Death
A 79-year-old woman surnamed Chen, suspected of being unable to cope with the long-term care of her husband who received dialysis for 30 years and her grandson, used a hammer to hit her husband’s head and caused his death five years ago. The Shilin District Court sentenced her to 2 years and 8 months in prison for murder in the first trial. In today’s (23rd) second trial, the judge ruled that this was a tragedy of elderly caring for the elderly. Combined with the woman’s confession, family pleading, and her physical and mental suffering after the crime, the original verdict was overturned and she was sentenced to 2 years in prison with a 5-year probation. The woman, wearing a safety helmet and of small stature, allegedly couldn’t cope with the long-term care of her husband, which led to the attack with a hammer on his head causing his death in 2018. In the first trial, she was sentenced to 2 years and 8 months in prison for murder. After the appeal, the second trial judge believed that the woman turned herself in and was physically and mentally tormented due to the stress of caring for her husband and grandson. Therefore, the original verdict was overturned and she was sentenced to 2 years in prison with a 5-year probation.
The spokesperson for the Criminal Division of the High Court, Gu Zhengde, explained that “the offender has already suffered significant mental torment after committing the crime. Considering that this is a tragedy of mutual care between the elderly and that she cared for her grandson without complaints or regrets, she was subjected to excessive physical and mental stress.”
The High Court considered this to be a tragedy of elderly care for the elderly and deemed the female defendant eligible for probation. However, there have been cases where caregivers experienced difficulties and tragedies, such as a 55-year-old man in Kaohsiung who allegedly killed his sick father after facing financial difficulties while caring for him and then committed suicide.
Li Yi, executive director of the Kaohsiung Association for the Care of Family Caregivers, stated, “Sometimes, family caregivers do not see their own needs, and because everyone’s focus is on the disabled or dementia patient, they may neglect their own well-being.”
The Kaohsiung Association for the Care of Family Caregivers found that many elderly caregivers reported good news but not their problems, making it difficult for their families to detect any issues. Even if the problems are detected, the elderly caregivers may not be willing to accept help or may not be able to afford the cost of care.
Fang Lijian, head of the Elderly Welfare Section of the Kaohsiung Social Affairs Bureau, pointed out that “they may not want others to disturb them and may feel that having someone come to their home regularly is inconvenient. They may refuse such assistance.”
As of the end of last year, there were over 14,000 elderly people living alone in Kaohsiung, with 3,320 listed for care. In addition to elderly people living alone, families caring for the elderly are also included in the care list. Those who refuse to be listed will receive a call every six months for care. The city government also encourages citizens to show a spirit of caring for their neighbors and report to the local leaders if elderly caregivers have not appeared or if there are any unusual situations. They will then be referred to the relevant units.
Original article from PTS News by Wang Rou-Ting and Chen Xian-Kun.