Most older people wish to stay and be cared for in their own home. In Germany approx. 1.25 milion people are cared for without any professional help, usually with great effort and attention. However, domestic care by relatives is also known to be a risk of elder abuse. The research project “Human Dignity and the Right of Personhood of People depending on Long-Term Care at Home - Legal Protection for Carers and the Cared-For” deals with elder abuse in German domestic care settings from a legal and social sciences perspective. The aim of the research project is to develop a regulatory framework providing aid-oriented prevention and intervention in family care of vulnerable elders by public agencies and courts. First, empirical data on the situation in family care for older people will be analysed. Second, the existing legal framework of family care will be examined with respect to gaps and potentials for the protection of vulnerable elders. In a third step, recommendations for legislation and administration will be developed in exchange with practitioners. Preliminary results with respect to the first two steps of the analysis disclose a lack of legal regulations on the issue of elder abuse in family care, especially in comparison with German legislation on child protection. Thus, the legal framework should reinforce prevention of care problems by giving more efficient support to carers and permit legal intervention in case of abuse. The proposed legislation should take account of the high value of the individual self-determination right.
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