Goals: describe the main goals of the good practice

A better understanding of the matter by providing expertise to deal with intercultural aspects of elder abuse in the city of Amsterdam

Target Group: which group(s) does the good practice aim at?

Policymakers municipality of Amsterdam, municipal organizations for care and welfare of the elderly, police, physical and mental health institutes and client organizations (and more).

Approach: describe the way in which the good practice is implemented

Research through eight main questions:

1. What is the position of migrant elderly citizens in their family  system?
2. How do migrant families feel about home care?
3. How do migrant families feel about elder abuse?
4. How does violence manifest itself in migrant families (specific situations)?
5. How do the answers of questions one to four affect the plan of action  against elder abuse in migrant families in Amsterdam?
6. Why is it that migrant families and their home carers have, until now, not been able to reach and use existing professional care organizations to their benefit? Focus on individual and personal aspects.
7. What barriers are there for migrant elderly citizens and their communities to make use of the available care after (possible) domestic violence? Focus on obstacles at organizations and the organization and presentation of the available care.
8. What should change in order to allow migrant elderly citizens and their home carers to use and benefit from the available care more easily?

Structure and method:

• Literature study (what do we know about the position of the elderly in migrant families, home care and elder abuse) 
• Interviews with representatives of migrant organizations and prominent members of various migrant groups in Amsterdam, with care organizations and consulting parties for home carers and care organizations for victims of domestic violence.
• Interviews (24) with vulnerable migrant elderly people and (their) home carers. 
• Expert meeting on intercultural aspects of elder abuse on the outcomes of the literature study and interviews (validation).
• Collecting knowledge from previous stages and preparing recommendations for the municipality.

The conclusions and recommendations will result in a municipal advice for the municipal board as well as a policy plan. The advice was presented to the municipality of Amsterdam by the research group. In the report, questions 5 and 8 were answered (unpublished).

Which parties are implementing this good practice? If relevant, name the executing organizations or persons.

Municipalityof Amsterdam, Department Housing, Care and Society.

What material is available on this good practice (description, website etc.)

Research report:

Intercultural aspects of elder abuse (PDF, in Dutch):
click here  

How widely is this good practice used in your country?

No available data

What are the results, outcomes, experiences with this good practice? Please mention the source(s).

No available data

Are there effect studies? Please mention the source(s) if the answer is ‘yes’.

Not relevant

What are the success factors?

Respondents for the research interviews were prominent members of the community and elderly citizens from different cultural backgrounds and their home carers.