The Cabinet Minister responsible for seniors is to meet with his Opposition counterpart after she claimed she forced him to act to help an alleged elder abuse victim.

Culture and Social Rehabilitation Minister Dale Butler and Shadow Health and Seniors Minister Louise Jackson will sit down tomorrow to discuss how a new law aimed at protecting old people from harm could be strengthened.

The Senior Abuse Register Act 2008 came into effect in March — but Mrs. Jackson said at the weekend that the latest case of alleged abuse, involving a 75-year-old mentally impaired woman, showed it was "full of holes".

Mr. Butler stepped in last week to help the woman, Miss C, who has allegedly been abused by two men in her own home.

He ordered his staff at the National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged (NOSPC) to explore every legal avenue after Police said they were powerless to act. A protection order was ultimately obtained from a judge banning the two men from Miss C's home.

Mrs. Jackson said on Sunday night that Mr. Butler only put his foot down at her insistence, adding that the exact same thing happened in the case of 96-year-old alleged elder abuse victim "Auntie Em". She claimed the authorities had known about Miss C's situation for more than a year.

"The only way I got anything done with both cases was to call the Minister after months of inaction and literally threaten exposure," she said.

Mr. Butler issued a statement last night insisting that Government had taken "significant steps to address senior abuse in Bermuda" including bringing in the new law.

He said: "The Ministry has welcomed a meeting with Ms Louise Jackson MP to discuss her specific concerns regarding the Senior Abuse Register Act 2008 and areas where it can be strengthened."

The Minister said under the new legislation, the Senior Abuse Registrar, Melvin Dickinson, has the power to launch an investigation into alleged abuse and can provide care and accommodation, or take other action, to ensure the safety and welfare of a senior.

He can also refer cases to the Police and arrange for protection of a senior under section six of the Domestic Violence (Protection Orders) Act 1997.

Mr. Butler said: "The Ministry, through its National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged, works with several partners, including the Bermuda Police Service and the Ministry of Health, to ensure the safety and security of an alleged abuse victim."

He added: "Any investigation into an allegation of senior abuse must be treated confidentially, in order to protect a victim from public scrutiny, to ensure that details of a senior's private life are treated with dignity and respect, and to ensure that investigations into allegations are not prejudiced."

Mrs. Jackson said she looked forward to the meeting, adding that the Government's actions with regard to Miss C "speak for themselves".

"No one can change the fact that she has been in an allegedly abusive situation that the authorities were aware of and did not correct for many months. Obviously they didn't use whatever leverage the act had to help her. Somebody needs to stand up and admit this: they failed her."

Copies of the Senior Abuse Register Act 2008 are available at the NOSPC at 60 Victoria Street, Hamilton. Electronic copies can be made available by calling 292-7802.