Violence in Care: More Awareness Needed

A new representative survey by Pro Senectute Switzerland shows that every ninth person over 60 years old has already experienced or observed violence in home care. In comparison, estimates from the federal government suggest that up to 500,000 people over 60 are affected by violence or neglect annually - both in home care and in institutions. Two out of five respondents associate 'violence in care' with psychological violence in the form of humiliation, intimidation, or manipulation. This is closely followed by 38 percent who associate it with physical violence such as hitting, pushing, or rough handling. More than a quarter of respondents interpret it as verbal violence in the form of insults, scolding, and yelling. Slightly more than every fifth person understands violence in care as neglect. Practically none of the respondents think of forms of fraud like financial abuse in connection with violence in the care of the elderly.

The lack of awareness is alarming.

Particularly concerning is that every fifth respondent cannot imagine what violence in domestic care entails. This suggests that the issue is still not well-known among the elderly population. 'Violence in old age is often not recognized as such,' notes Alain Huber, Director of Pro Senectute Switzerland. 'In advisory sessions, older people often report incidents of violence which they had not recognized as such before the consultation,' confirms Paolo Nodari, Director of Pro Senectute Ticino e Moesano, one of the three founding organizations of the National Competence Center Age Without Violence.

Pro Senectute calls for even more awareness.

In the survey, older people cite overwhelm, stress, and time pressure as the most common causes of violence in care. Specifically, most respondents desire more consultations or offerings such as coaching for caregiving relatives as well as training in violence prevention, which is closely linked to increased awareness. 'Particular attention needs to be paid to lesser-known forms of violence such as financial abuse in the future,' emphasizes Huber.

Contact: Pro Senectute Switzerland Peter Burri Follath Head of Communication Phone 044 283 89 43 medien@prosenectute.ch