As for who was responsible for the death of Grazia O., “the council chamber ordered on October 9, 2023 the internment of the suspect“, the Brussels public prosecutor's office told us this Monday.
The two cases are separate and immediately closed, but they have the merit of reminding us that violence does not stop at the doors of nursing homes and of the importance of staff training.
“Life in a home is a watered-down version of everyday life. Conflicts between residents exist just as neighborhood conflicts exist“, first refocuses Dominique Langhendries, the director of the non-profit organization “Respect Séniors, the Walloon Agency for the fight against elder abuse”.
Old age “out of the ordinary”
The latter points out that violence between residents is ultimately quite rare in Belgian residences, and what is more, violence does not necessarily mean medical abuse. The director nevertheless concedes that there may be a lack of staff training to identify the warning signs of such incidents. “In cases of cognitive degeneration, such as Alzheimer's for example, existing training is adequate. But for psychiatric pathologies, such as psychotic crises, there may indeed be a lack of staff training.“
“We often talk about old age being 'out of the ordinary', there is a whole series of profiles that we are not used to seeing and who find themselves in rest homes due to the extension of life expectancy . Elderly people with a disability, Down syndrome or mental illness for example, which was not the typical profile we knew“, explains Dominique Langhendries who adds that “this obviously had an impact on the staff who were not sufficiently trained to accommodate this new population. This could have given rise to mistreatment or feelings of mistreatment for a resident who did not consider himself to be properly supervised.“, further details the director of the non-profit organization
60% of abuse at home
In 2023, with figures for 2024 still being prepared, the non-profit organization estimated the number of nursing home residents experiencing mistreatment at 8.5%. Of these situations, only about 11% involved physical violence. The Walloon Agency for Combating Elder Abuse had 4,180 contacts that year, almost half for situations of abuse. The association offered its support in 823 cases in Wallonia. These data only concern the south of the country.
The fact is that in 60% of the reports of mistreatment received by the association, the facts took place in the private sphere.
“This is the tip of the iceberg. Some people are unaware that they are in a situation of abuse“, estimates Dominique Langhendries. There is also a culture of silence and sometimes the fear of reprisals, notes the director. Abuse is protean, it can involve physical, psychological and civil violence, as when the home of an elder is sold during hospitalization. Negligence in care, hygiene or medication also constitutes abuse.
“You should not be left alone and you should not hesitate to contact the emergency numbers“, concludes Dominique Langhendries. His association can be reached free of charge on 0800 30 330.
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