Recommendations
The recommendations were developed within the Breaking the Taboo-project and provide an overview on recommended strategies at organisational as well as policy level in order to combat violence against older women within the family.
Recommended strategies on organisational level
Developing clear organisational policies
Many health and social service organisations which responded to the survey, do not have clear organisational procedures to deal with abuse against older women. Clear standards and guidelines help staff to cope with stressing situations and to act in an adequate way. It makes it more likely that the organisation as a whole can help the victims properly and efficiently. Generally, organisations working with older people should develop such standards and procedures in writing and designate staff members as contact persons who are trained with respect to these issues.
Offering training and education of staff
Organisations delivering help and care to older women should provide access to training and education for staff with regard to violence related challenges they might meet in their work with families. Understanding the extent of the problem and finding ways to reduce the risk of abuse for older people requires ongoing education to guarantee expertise and holistic thinking. Since the perspectives of staff and managers tend to be different it is necessary to consider these differences in training and awareness raising activities. Peer education (older staff trains younger colleagues) is a very good instrument in this context. It is also important to include volunteers and different types of paid staff members, to facilitate inter-disciplinary exchange in awareness raising and training.
Securing appropriate working conditions
In order to recognize and to prevent abuse against older women at an early stage an important factor is that staff has enough time and adequate framework conditions to notice and act accordingly. It is therefore necessary to create working conditions for staff in which they are able to deal sensitively with delicate situations, for example team meetings or non-directive counselling.
Enabling multi-disciplinary cooperation and communication
There is a need for improvements to be made concerning better cooperation and exchange between organisations and professionals working in health and social care as well as in victim protection and those working with perpetrators. The development and support of multi-disciplinary teams including volunteers, specialised professionals like social workers, psychiatrists, general practitioners and representatives of different organisations is important in all participating countries.
Recommended strategies on policy level
Raising awareness
The project has shown that to “break the taboo” and to initiate a public discussion on this issue is one of the most important steps to improve the situation of the hidden victims as well as for abusive family carers.
This can be implemented through general awareness raising activities and campaigns concerning discrimination against older people. Specific information about violence against older people in the family and older women in particular can be provided by training, brochures and websites etc.
It is also necessary to improve the awareness of older people concerning the prevention of abuse. This could be done through mass media, internet, senior clubs and associations, Third Age Universities, self-help groups and by encouraging the active participation of older people through community educational programs.
Enforcing prevention and early detection
Provisions like visiting services, day care centres, psychological and therapeutical support, and systematic training of family care givers are crucial steps in order to prevent abuse in care situations. These kinds of proactive preventative initiatives should be further developed and implemented.
Systematic early detection through professionals of health and social services working in the homes of the older people should include adequate assessment tools and routine inquiry at hospitals or by the general practitioner. Preventive home visits by specialised nurses or social workers are a useful tool, especially for targeting people living in isolation. The general approach of these activities should be to create an atmosphere of trust and cooperation rather than control.
Supporting networking initiatives
Exchange of experience and cooperation especially within and between the areas of health and care, victim protection organisations and those working with perpetrators should be supported. Public authorities can contribute by facilitating joint platforms and cooperation projects.
Creating adequate structures
Existing facilities and intervention systems are not always adequate for older women. It is often the case that the victim has to seek shelter somewhere else, mainly in nursing homes which are not sufficiently prepared to deal with victims of abuse. Women’s shelters on the other hand are not prepared for older women or women with disabilities. A debate on flexible and innovative solutions to this dilemma should be initiated to explore possibilities of adapting women’s shelters to the needs of older women or creating specialized services in nursing homes or finding new types of living provisions for older women. The need for adequate interventions against older women in informal care contexts need to be integrated in to the National Action Plans to fight violence against women.
Improving the legal framework
Although legal provisions regarding violence against women exist in all EU states they are hardly tailored to the specific needs of older victims of abuse. It is therefore necessary to change the legal situation in order to provide better support for the older victims of violence. This should go hand in hand with the development of responsive and adequate service structures.
Encouraging further research
The project activities revealed that there is little information on abuse against older women within the family, the coping mechanisms of health and social service professionals in this area as well as detailed information about the accessibility of existing intervention services for older people and whether they cater adequately to the needs of older women. Qualitative and quantitative research on these issues is an important requisite for improving policies in this area.
Securing sustainable funding
Violence against older women threatens social cohesion and inclusion in European member states. In the context of developing adequate strategies political and financial commitment is necessary to put the above mentioned actions into place and counteract the substantial costs that domestic violence generate for societies.
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