Older adults subjected to violence do not get the support they need
There is a lack of knowledge about violence against older adults within both elderly care and health care. Also, older adults rarely seek out municipal social services of their own record. Our new report shows that there is work to be done in order to prevent and uncover violence against older people.
About ten to fifteen percent of people over the age of 60 have been exposed to violence in the last twelve months. The Swedish government assigned the Swedish Gender Equality Agency to map knowledge about the vulnerability of older adults to violence.
"Several factors increase the risk for the elderly to be exposed to violence. After retirement, the possibility that others can discover the violence decreases because the victim of violence leaves colleagues or managers who could suspect wrongdoing", says Catarina Gustafsson, investigator at the Swedish Gender Equality Agency.
Also, old age often comes with an increased dependence on both relatives and staff. It also brings with it a risk of repeated violence and poorer opportunities to get out of a destructive relationship,
One of the main findings is that staff in the health care and elderly care sector needs more knowledge.
"Many who work closely with people over 65 need more knowledge, both about how violence can manifest itself, what signs they should be aware of and how they can ask questions about violence. Today, many actors in, for example, health care or elderly care lack routines or training for how staff should act when violence is suspected", says Eva-Maria Ambesjö, investigator at the Swedish Gender Equality Agency.
The report Ett värdigt liv - att åldras fredad från våld is available in Swedish, including an English summary.
Publication date: 17 September 2024
Last updated: 18 September 2024