The road goes ever on: evidence of the continuing abuse of older people in care homes

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present findings from a research project designed to enhance knowledge of the current extent and nature of abuse in contemporary care homes for older people.Design/methodology/approachA self-completion, postal questionnaire was used to elicit both numerical and textual data that were subsequently subjected to both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The questionnaire was distributed to newly appointed care staff in five participating care homes providing care to older people to determine the nature of any abuse they may have witnessed in the homes in which they had previously worked.FindingsA significant proportion of respondents had witnessed numerous occurrences of primarily psychological and physical abuse and neglect, perpetrated against the older people living in the care homes in which they had previously worked.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the research draws upon the experiences of only 197 anonymous questionnaire respondents, of whom 180 had witnessed abuse, data suggest that abuse continues to occur in some care homes for older people.Originality/valueThe research has revealed staffs’ recent experiences of a range of abusive acts and practices. When combined with two previous studies using the same or a similar methodology, the research also confirms the enduring presence of abuse in care homes. Findings again suggest that changes are required to current methods of external scrutiny and investigation of practices in care homes.