Summary - Elder abuse in the Netherlands

Authors: Inger Plaisier and Mirjam de Klerk (eds.)
ISBN/ISSN/other: 978 90 377 0748 9

Original title: Ouderenmishandeling in Nederland

It is twenty years since the last study was carried out on the number of older persons in the Netherlands who are deliberate or accidental victims of abuse in the form of verbal, physical or sexual violence, financial abuse and/or neglect by those on whom they depend, such as partners, family members or care professionals.

Elder abuse is not an easy topic to study. It is a difficult subject to discuss and it is sometimes hard to get victims to participate in research. At the request of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the Netherlands Institute for Social Research|SCP has brought together the latest knowledge about the extent and nature of elder abuse in the Netherlands. The result is this report, containing a collection of contributions from various research institutes. Each of the studies described looks at the phenomenon from a different perspective. Although we can say little about how many older people in the Netherlands today are victims of abuse, this report does show how the research method influences the number of victims found. The report can therefore provide a starting point for further research.

Inger Plaisierworks in the Care, Emancipation and Time Use research sector at SCP, where she carries out research on developments in care, informal help and quality of care, with a particular focus on mental health. Mirjam de Klerk is employed in the same research sector. Her research interests focus on informal help, the Social Support Act, use of care and participation in society by people with impairments.