Organisational aspects of elder mistreatment in long term care

Hyde, Paula, Burns, Diane, Killett, Anne ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4080-8365, Kenkmann, Andrea, Poland, Fiona ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0003-6911 and Gray, Richard (2014) Organisational aspects of elder mistreatment in long term care. Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, 15 (4). pp. 197-209. ISSN 1471-7794

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Abstract

This paper examines organisational aspects of elder mistreatment in light of the findings of the ResPECT Study of Organisational Dynamics of Elder Care commissioned by Comic Relief and Department of Health through the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect In the Care of Older Adults (PANICOA) programme. The study examined the organisational factors associated with abuse, neglect and/or loss of dignity of older people resident in care homes. Approach: The study involved a knowledge synthesis of organisational aspects of elder mistreatment in residential care settings. The knowledge synthesis method was purposively adapted for examining the ill-defined and contested concept of elder mistreatment, as the available evidence is in varied forms and dispersed. Extensive searching of databases of academic journals was combined with careful searching for official investigation reports into mistreatment. The review and synthesis was followed by panel meetings with subject matter experts. Findings: This paper identifies and elaborates five organisational factors associated with elder mistreatment; infrastructure, management and procedures, staffing, resident population characteristics and culture. It also indicates macro-structural factors affecting care quality. Investigation reports recognised common structural factors contributing to institutional abuse, however, as ‘problem’ organisations are closed down these circumstances recur elsewhere. Research implications: Further work is needed to understand the interaction between and the influence of these organisational factors on mistreatment. Practical implications: This may go some way towards explaining how care quality can collapse as a result of seemingly minor and unrelated organisational changes. Social implications: Care home safety and quality is an ongoing concern, with popular analysis frequently stopping at the point of describing individual errant behaviour. Policy and practice struggles to take on lessons learned in inquiries. This synthesis deepens analysis of the inter-related factors.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	elder abuse,neglect,mistreatment,organisation,residential care,institutional abuse, older people, residential care, wicked problems,older people
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Dementia & Complexity in Later Life Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Lifespan Health
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	04 Nov 2014 12:44
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2023 01:23
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/50653
DOI:	10.1108/QAOA-06-2014-0010

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