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Description
Research shows that violence towards the elderly occurs on a vast scale, while the level of awareness of this problem is low, both among the elderly and those around them. This severely hinders measures to reach victims. The system of combating violence in the family in Poland, which is based on the Act on Combatting Violence in the Family, the Blue Card Procedure, and Interdisciplinary Violence Prevention Teams, is in general ineffective and is not suited to the specific nature of cases of violence towards the elderly. Under the project, systemic tools will be developed to defend elderly persons who face the threat of violence and public awareness of the problem will increase. The project includes meetings and work by experts, interviews and analysis of the data encountered, training for doctors, and a pilot scheme for the new tools. Forms will be devised for doctors for conducting violence risk assessment and containing information on the procedure to be followed. The project also envisages monitoring of laws on violence towards the elderly, publication of a report, and advocacy measures. A nationwide campaign will also be conducted, directed towards witnesses of violence on the subject of violence, how to react, and providing support for the elderly.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the problem of violence against senior citizens. The scale of this phenomenon is large, yet the level of awareness of the problem is low both senior citizens and those around them. The research shows that the most common form of violence against people 65+ is psychological and economic violence, although there are also cases of physical and sexual violence. 17.3 per cent of respondents perceived cases of elder abuse within their own family and 42.7 per cent perceived it outside their family (PAN, 2015). Most of those who were aware of cases of this type of violence did not react and did not intervene. The system for counteracting family violence in Poland, based on the Act on Counteracting Violence in the Family, the Blue Cards Procedure and the Interdisciplinary Teams for Counteracting Violence, is ineffective and inadequate for working with the elderly. Gaps include the lack of relevant legislation, non-application of procedures, insufficient cooperation of services, lack of involvement of health care personnel in the Blue Card procedure.
The project carried out a number of activities targeting different groups in society. A Polish language version of the Canadian Elder Abuse Risk Assessment Tool (EASI) with procedure was prepared, and an original tool, the Elder Abuse Risk Assessment Form (FORP) with procedure, was developed and adapted to the specificities of the Polish violence prevention system. Both tools were tested on a group of 300 people in health care facilities. A package of materials for hospitals and clinics was also produced, including forms with procedures, a training video for doctors and educational materials for senior citizens. Project Promoter conducted a review of the legal solutions for preventing violence against seniors and senior citizens in 4 countries - the Czech Republic, Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland - and then prepared a report with proposals for changes in the Polish system. The report was sent to experts and central institutions. A nationwide public campaign on violence against the elderly was also conducted. One of the project''s components were intervention activities - more than 100 consultations on violence cases were provided and 45 people were intervened against.
The project targeted doctors, senior citizens, their environment, as well as government and local government institutions and the general public. The most important results were the development of systemic tools for the protection of senior citizens at risk of violence and increased public awareness of the problem. In addition to the Polish version of the EASI with a procedure, a new, original tool was developed with a procedure and a whole package of materials for health care workers and senior citizens, adapted to the Polish specificity and the Polish system of counteracting violence. Thanks to conferences, publications in the media and a nationwide public awareness campaign, the topic was brought to public awareness, including in the medical community.