[Violence against the elderly in domestic care settings : Short profile of an interdisciplinary research project]

Most elderly people wish to remain and be cared for in their own home. Approximately 1.38 million people in Germany are cared for without professional support. However, domestic care by relatives can be a risk factor for violence against the elderly. This research project deals with the issue from a legal and social sciences perspective. The aim of the project is to develop a regulatory framework providing aid-oriented prevention and intervention in the family care of vulnerable elderly people by public agencies and courts. Firstly, empirical data on the situation in family care will be analyzed; secondly, the existing legal framework will be examined. In a third step, recommendations for legislation and administration will be developed in collaboration with practitioners. Initial findings show that, although various support, advice, and training services exist, the situation at home is not always safe. There is a lack of legal regulation on the issue of abuse in the family care setting, especially compared with German legislation on child protection. Thus, the legal framework should reinforce the prevention of care problems by giving more efficient support to carers and permitting legal intervention in the case of abuse. However, at the same time, the proposed legislation should take into account the importance of the individual's right to self-determination.