The Senior Abuse Register Act 2008 was passed into law last night in the Senate.

The Act gained the full support of Senators, who said it would send a clear message to abusers of the elderly that their actions would no longer be tolerated. Penalties include up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Senator Thaao Dill, introducing the Second Reading of the Act, said: "Clearly, it's our collective responsibility to make sure seniors lead secure lives with a degree of safety and quality. Stringent measures are necessary."

Sen. Dill said seniors made up ten percent of the Island's population but that there were currently 24 "active cases" of suspected elder abuse. He added: "We believe instances of elder abuse are on the rise, based on an anticipated increase in the population and that individuals are living longer."

Sen. Dill said the Act will create a Register of offenders for anyone inflicting physical, emotional, financial or sexual abuse. Care providers will undergo checks by a Registrar in the National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged, to check their credentials prior to appointment.

"This Register is absolutely necessary," he said.

Sen. Dill also said "interim safe houses" are being established for abused seniors, and that Government has teamed up with Age Concern to share information and statistics on seniors' needs and services.

"We will continue to explore different avenues of protecting our seniors," he said. "We take this issue and challenges of protecting our seniors very seriously on our agenda.

"Our intent is to ensure seniors in Bermuda live safely and with a quality of life, and wherever possible they live independently to make their own decisions and in safety, not under duress. It's part of our commitment to those wonderful people who have given so much to create our wonderful country as it is today."

Opposition Leader Senator Michael Dunkley said: "We support this legislation wholeheartedly. Like many other parts of the rest of the world, we've been forced to follow. In Bermuda we face the same challenges - it's a sad sign of the times."

Mr. Dunkley said: "I would like to congratulate Louise Jackson (MP), whom I feel has been instrumental in pushing this forward so it found the light of day. We have to agree with her enthusiasm and passion for making a difference to the lives of seniors, and I think she is to be commended."

He added: "This Act is a good first step and it's a first step which we will support."

Independent Senator Walwyn Hughes said the effectiveness of the legislation would rely on public awareness.

"Public relations will have to be an important part of this Bill to make it work properly," he said.

Commenting on the Act, Opposition Senator Gina Spence-Farmer said: "This calls to action a sense of security for seniors and a very strong message to those abusers out there that they can no longer do this.

"It has been said that 54 such cases have been reported, but there are many that never make it to the Office for Seniors, and some people just take it to their grave, living in such an abusive environment.

"We congratulate the Government and everyone involved in putting this legislation to the House and making it something we can all be proud of."

Elder abuse hit the headlines last September when a 95-year-old partially blind widow, known as Auntie Em, was reported to have been living in horrific conditions, with cockroaches crawling across her skin in a vermin-infested property. She was said to be a suspected victim of psychological and emotional abuse by her adopted daughter.

Within days of news of Auntie Em appearing in The Royal Gazette, six fresh cases of suspected elder abuse were reported to the authorities.