Six fresh cases of suspected elder abuse have been reported to the authorities since The Royal Gazette revealed the horrifying plight of 95-year-old Auntie Em last Friday.

And Ministers announced yesterday that the case of the near-blind widow, who was allegedly mentally abused and physically neglected by her adopted daughter, would be taken into account in drafting new laws on the mistreatment of seniors.

Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Wayne Perinchief told a press conference that the story of Auntie Em — who was forced to live in a filthy home infested with rodents and roaches and who had to have part of her leg amputated after infection set in — evoked "public revulsion".

The great grandmother refused a place at a Government rest home and was only rescued when private caregiver Yvonne Dawson took the nonagenarian into her own home for five months. Auntie Em is now at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. Mr. Perinchief revealed yesterday that since June 14 this year — the United Nations Elder Abuse Awareness Day — 56 cases of suspected mistreatment have been reported to the National Office for Seniors, resulting in 24 active cases being investigated. Since 1994, there have been 210 documented cases of suspected elder abuse in Bermuda.

The Minister said victims of elder abuse had to agree in order for Government to intervene in their situation.

But that could change in the future. Mr. Perinchief suggested that an elder abuse bill currently being drafted by the Attorney General's Chambers would give officials powers of intervention.

"I can tell you that the draft of the elder abuse bill will have certain requirements to follow in cases such as Auntie Em," he said. "We are on top of this issue and will be putting in place specific strategies to deal with it in the future."

Health Minister Michael Scott said a proposal to set up an elder abuse register — which would list perpetrators of elder abuse and prevent them working with pensioners — would be included in the next parliamentary session.

"Issues arising from this case will be taken into account to refine the bill so that it is even more responsive to the community's needs," he said. "The aim of the bill is such that it will make it mandatory for all persons to be an advocate for the welfare of our seniors and to report elder abuse to the proper authorities."

Mr. Scott defended Government's handling of Auntie Em's case and said it was working to find suitable accommodation for her at "the earliest possible opportunity". "Government agencies responded professionally and urgently to Auntie Em's tragic circumstances," he said. "Auntie Em was removed from the unsafe and unsanitary conditions in her home at the first opportunity."

The elderly woman's nephew told this newspaper last night he did not agree with that statement. He added that any accommodation for his aged relative would have to be temporary as he was determined to get her back into her own home. The property was considered unfit for human habitation by environmental health officers earlier this year. They ordered Auntie Em's daughter, who is understood to still live there with her husband, two children and grandchild, to clean it up. The nephew said: "The reason why she fights a home and I fight it for her is because that's not where she wants to go. If she knows she's going in a home permanently she will pass on very quickly, I'm convinced of that." He added he was pleased that speaking out about Auntie Em appeared to have prompted others to come forward. Mr. Perinchief told the press conference that six reports of suspected elder abuse had been made to the National Office for Seniors in just three working days. "Other families are going through this," said the nephew.

Ms Dawson, who gave up her own bed for Auntie Em, said Government had been shamed into calling the press conference. "I think what it is, the Government is embarrassed because I took it out of their hands. Embarrassment is not what they like." She said she had contacted every politician she could think of regarding Auntie Em but only two — Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson and Cabinet Minister Dennis Lister — got back to her. "I called the Premier's office before the funeral of Dame Lois," she claimed. "They should have called a press conference then."

Mrs. Jackson, the Opposition's spokeswoman on seniors, said Government's proposals for new legislation were not enough. "Social services, the National Office for Seniors, the Police and environmental health department — they are all dedicated professionals. They did all they could but they are stymied by a lack of legislation.

"They had to turn around and leave the lady in that sorry situation. We need laws that could take abusers to court and have them fined or incarcerated. The kind of legislation that this Government is talking about — a list for abusers — is fine but it's just far from enough."

Health Minister Michael Scott claimed yesterday that Government was not given the chance to comment on Auntie Em ¿ although The Royal Gazette has emails proving it did ask specific questions on the case on August 21.

Gazette editor Bill Zuill said he regretted that the Ministers had taken issue with this newspaper's stories on her. "I would point out that Mr. Perinchief was interviewed extensively prior to our learning about the Auntie Em case on the overall question of elderly abuse and was quoted at length in our coverage," he said.

"In addition, Mr. Perinchief was copied into email correspondence between ourselves and Myra Virgil, the Acting Permanent Secretary of Community and Cultural Affairs, regarding this issue and was therefore free to add any comments at that time. To suggest that either he or the Government generally were unaware of what we were doing is misleading. It is also unfair to suggest that we 'buried' the date on which the neglect was uncovered. The extreme nature of the neglect made it extremely topical, and the fact that six cases of alleged abuse have been reported to Government since our story was published proves both the public interest in this issue and the service that this newspaper has provided to the community. Finally, I wish to state that at no time has our coverage suggested that Government officials did not do their jobs. The point is that public officials are restricted in what they can do because of the lack of legislation concerning elderly abuse and it is to be hoped that there will be a real debate on this question."

Former Health Minister Patrice Minors told the House of Assembly in June 2006 that local studies suggested between four and six percent of elderly people on the Island had experienced some form of abuse in their home.