A Qualitative Study on the Experience of Elder Abuse Prevention Education of Mandatory Reporters

The purpose of this study was to identify paths towards developing elder abuse prevention, through an in-depth exploration of the experiences of persons engaged in statutory compulsory education. Seven working-level workers, including elderly welfare facilities, long-term care institutions, and multicultural health family support centers, were recruited considering areas with a high reporting rate as well as a low participation rate in prevention education among 17 job groups obligated to report. Data were collected through unstructured in-depth interviews and analyzed, using constant comparative methods as the qualitative data analysis methods. As a result, five topics and 24 subtopics were derived, as the basis for meaningful statements. The five topics were ① the perception of elder abuse prevention education, ② effectiveness of elder abuse prevention education, ③ an education method with clear advantages and disadvantages, ④ obstacles to activating prevention education, and ⑤ paths towards improving effectiveness. Based on the results derived, an activation plan to increase the effectiveness of elder abuse prevention education is suggested.