Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Elder Abuse in Belgium: Challenges and Strategies for Intervention

Abstract

Any effective intervention for elder abuse should start from the perspectives and needs of all stakeholders, including the older persons themselves. Based on face-to-face interviews, this descriptive qualitative study explored the different stakeholders' perspectives and the challenging obstacles in preventing, detecting and addressing elder abuse. The purposive sample included patients and experienced professionals such as nurses, GPs, social workers, notaries, lawyers and judges. The main themes identified were the empowerment of older persons, the need for sensitisation of all key actors, deontological issues and the need for and barriers to interprofessional collaboration. The findings highlight the complexity of elder abuse, the vulnerability of victims, their reluctance to request help and the potential for abuse of powers of attorney. Healthcare professionals identified a tension between maintaining a trust-based relationship and the obligations of secrecy inherent in their professional and interprofessional roles. They advocate for developing and implementing an interprofessional collaboration model that can overcome the obstacles for collaboration and integrate the patient's perspective.

Keywords: abuse; communication; decision-making; ethics; qualitative research.