Many elderly people are being battered by family members and nursing-home employees, according to a research group.

The group's findings are based on a study of phone calls to a hotline set up by welfare experts, led by Nihon University professor Shoji Tanaka, to give advice to caregivers for elderly people.

It based its findings on 30 consultations given between December and March via phone or e-mail.

According to the study, many battered seniors are abused by caregivers, including their offspring, daughters-in-law or employees at facilities where they receive care.

The forms of abuse include violent acts, such as punching and kicking, as well as neglect.

Specific abuses cited in the study include a son slapping his mother, family members not changing adult diapers or helping the elderly person with eating, as well as not talking to them and withdrawing money from their bank accounts without approval.

Some caregivers seeking advice said they could not help abusing their parents because they had been abused by them when they were kids.

Two people seeking advice were actually abusing the person in their care, while others were people close to the victim.

Some reported elderly being abused by nursing home employees. Others said when they alerted coworkers or superiors about such abuse, they were told the case did not constitute abuse.