Violence prevention in home care

Analysis of violence incidents in home care to develop an organization-specific violence prevention concept.

THE CHALLENGE

Care workers in mobile services are frequently exposed to verbal, psychological, and in some cases physical violence, often under conditions of working alone, time pressure, long waiting times, and challenging care situations. At the same time, organization-specific data, clear reporting procedures, and a systematically embedded prevention concept that effectively supports affected staff and enables sustainable follow-up are lacking.

OUTCOMES

The quantitative survey showed that 95.0% of participants reported at least one experience of violence by clients in the past twelve months; 68.4% reported violence by relatives. Psychological and verbal violence was the most common form, followed by physical and sexual violence. Emotional strain after incidents was clearly noticeable. At the same time, organizational support was rated positively overall, especially team support and backing from leadership. The qualitative findings additionally highlighted the need for clear reporting structures, debriefings, and immediate support.