Elder abuse in nursing homes and home care in Sweden: perceptions, experiences, prevalence and prevention

Research problem and specific questionsGlobally, 16% of community dwelling older adults report experience of elder abuse in the past 12 months. Among staff in nursing homes, 60-65% admit own perpetration of abusive acts towards a care recipient.

The aim of this programme is to explore perceptions and experiences of elder abuse in home care and nursing homes and co-create an intervention for elder abuse in nursing homes.

The proposed programme includes four work packages with the following aims:1-2)  Explore perceptions and experiences of elder abuse and potential preventive efforts among stakeholders, i.e., staff, managers, care recipients and relatives, in home care services and nursing homes.3) Investigate prevalence and associated factors for self-perpetrated acts of elder abuse as well as observed acts of elder abuse by different perpetrators as reported by a nationally representative sample of staff working in a) home care services and b) nursing homes4) Together with stakeholders, co-design, an intervention to prevent elder abuse in nursing homes.5) Conduct a pilot test of the intervention.Data and methodIn work packages 1-2 qualitative individual interviews as well as focus group interviews will be conducted.In work package 3 a quantitative cross-sectional questionnaire study including a nationally representative sample (n=10 000) of staff working in home care and nursing homes will be conducted.In work package 4 an intervention to prevent elder abuse in nursing homes will be developed.

To assure relevance and feasibility, the intervention will be co-constructed with key stakeholders, i.e., staff, care recipients, and relatives.In work package 5 a pilot test of the intervention will be conducted at nursing homes involving 100 care recipients and 70 staff.Relevance and utilisationElder abuse is a pervasive public health problem and a human rights violation.

Therefore, the overall aim of the proposed programme is to co-create and pilot test an intervention aiming at preventing elder abuse. However, to construct a relevant intervention, knowledge gained in work package 1-3 will be pivotal.

Plan for programme realisationThe programme is a collaboration between three research groups at Linköping University, Karolinska Institute (Stockholm) and the city of Gothenburg.

Data collection will be conducted in all three cities and the intervention will be co-constructed and tested in Gothenburg. The PI will have main responsibility for the programme together with the local researchers in Gothenburg.

A post-doctoral researcher and a PhD student will be recruited to partake in the programme and a group of senior researchers will act as a reference group through all stages of the research process.

In addition, two persons working at nursing homes will be contracted part-time to co-construct the intervention together with researchers and representative from interest organisations for older adults and relatives.