A SAFER LIFE FOR OLDER WOMEN: TRAINING PROFESSIONALS AND IMPLEMENTING COOPERATION MECHANISMS FOR COMBATING VIOLENCE AND ABUSE AGAINST OLDER WOMEN Erasmus Project

Project Title

A SAFER LIFE FOR OLDER WOMEN: TRAINING PROFESSIONALS AND IMPLEMENTING COOPERATION MECHANISMS FOR COMBATING VIOLENCE AND ABUSE AGAINST OLDER WOMEN

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Health and wellbeing; Inclusion – equity; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Europe is facing an accelerated process of aging, which will increase in the next years (the percentage of persons aged over 65 years old is projected to be of 29,5% in 2060 – EUROPOP2010 ). Given the longer life expectancy of women, the aging population is predominately a female one, living in poverty, on social welfare, and suffering. Objective of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing is the elimination of all forms of neglect, abuse and violence against older persons (MIPAA, 2002). In addition, it was acknowledged clearly in the Plan of Action that “Older women face greater risk of physical and psychological abuse due to discriminatory societal attitudes and the nonrealization of the human rights of women”. Abuse of older people is not a new phenomenon, although formal responses are still in their infancy in many countries. The concept of ‘elder abuse’ was first described in the UK in scientific journals in the 1970’s. However, the conceptualisation of ‘elder abuse’ only received wider public and governmental attention towards the end of the 20th century. Addressing elder abuse is now regarded as a universal reflection of worldwide concern about human rights, gender equality, domestic violence and population ageing. In Romania, Greece, Finland, Italy and Portugal (project countries), like in all EU, population ageing also brings the need to protect and develop protective measures for older people. In recent years there has been a growing body of literature relating to its prevalence, risk factors and attitudes.
Gender, being female, is a risk factor appearing in all the researches.
The SAFE project he has proposed a new approach in the VET field of health and social care of older people, focusing on training professionals and implementing cooperation mechanisms and procedures in the situations/cases of violence and abuse on older women, in Romania, Greece, Italy, Finland and Portugal. In all partner countries, there is a lack of specialized teaching/training curricula with special focus on abused older women, for social and health care teachers or professionals. Especially the gender aspect is missing; in existing training the general term used is “elder abuse” which is gender neutral term homogenizing all older people as the same. . In general the prevention activities of abuse of older women are viewed from individual, group and community level perspectives, and international human rights and women’s rights perspective is rarely used.
The SAFE project he has proposed the perspective of human rights, which is a new and innovative aspect. Also there is a lack of innovative teaching methods that can be used to challenge ageist and gender discriminatory attitudes toward older women and to create positive attitudes toward them among students and professionals. The project used
the work in the frame of reference of Professional Learning Community (PLC) as a method, and this approach will be used for developing Intellectual Outputs in this project.
The SAFE project is a characterization of the cross-sectoral, international approach and human rights and women’s rights, applying the education plan and a set of procedures with several agencies, using all the reference parts for the professional vocational education (innovative method). The project focused on reducing gaps in the training of care staff working with older people, responding to real needs regarding violence and abuse of older women. More precisely, the main objectives of the project were:
– Improving the importance in force and training for the training curriculum oriented to the professional life of the prevention of violence of elderly women in groups of collaborative learning and in all the community models of professional learning
– Professional presentation of teachers and care for trainers working in the field of violence for older women and in specific issues, provoking sexism and discrimination of the international perspective of Human Rights and Women’s Rights, for a capacity to strengthen social and medical professionals identifying and intervening about abuse of older women and enabling them to care for the home and the residential environment;
– Supporting authorities and health and healthcare professionals and stakeholders in using intervention measures in relation to violence against older women.
The SAFE project aimed to increase the lives of older women, in terms of cooperation between institutions, the skills of VET teacher and health / social care professionals (doctors, social workers, social workers, psychologists) and the contribution when applying VET through the elaboration of an instrument the training curriculum on violence / abuse on the elderly women,
A set of procedures regarding interventions in cases of violence against elderly women and political care documents addressing the field of social assistance / health.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 174056 Eur

Project Coordinator

DIRECTIA GENERALA DE ASISTENTA SOCIALA A MUNICIPIULUI BUCURESTI & Country: RO

Project Partners

• UNIVERSIDADE DO MINHO
• Voimaa Vanhuuteen – osk VoiVa – Empowering Old Age Coop
• KENTRO MERIMNAS OIKOGENEIAS KAI PAIDIOU
• ANZIANI E NON SOLO SOCIETA COOPERATIVA SOCIALE
• ASOCIATIA HABILITAS – CENTRUL DE RESURSE SI FORMARE PROFESIONALA