Mistreatment, well-treatment care and caregiving
L’Appui offers tools to help you better understand mistreatment and well-treatment in the context of caregiving, and to help you raise awareness among different audiences. It also offers suggestions for improving your professional practice.
Play Video
The role of caregiver can be a demanding one. For caregivers, well-treatment promotes their own well-being, as well as that of the people they care for.
Conversely, a caregiver who is overwhelmed by their role, exhausted, isolated, etc. is at risk of mistreating the person they are caring for.
In this sense, well-treatment or self-care appears to be a protective factor against mistreatment.
L’Appui has developed tools to help caregivers and those around them understand the importance of taking care of themselves.
Helping others effectively starts with yourself!
In Quebec, the Act to combat maltreatment of seniors and other persons of full age in vulnerable situations, amended in 2022, includes measures to combat mistreatment more effectively, such as extending the obligation to report certain situations of mistreatment.
But what exactly is mistreatment? According to the Government of Quebec:
Elder abuse is a single or repeated attitude, word or act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within a relationship with a person, community or institution where there is an expectation of trust, which, whether deliberately or not, causes harm or distress to an older adult.
There are many types of mistreatment, including psychological mistreatment, physical mistreatment, sexual mistreatment, material or financial mistreatment, institutional mistreatment, ageism and violation of rights.
In a caregiving context, mistreatment is often unintentional, i.e., the abuser does not want to cause harm, or does not realize the harm they are causing.
Certain risk and vulnerability factors predispose a person to mistreatment. These include difficulty living with someone being cared for, a major neurocognitive disorder, or a physical disability that deprives the person of their autonomy.
In addition, some people have characteristics that predispose them to mistreatment. Stress and difficulties associated with the caregiving role, mental health issues and poor general health are among the main factors associated with mistreatment.
But beware! In a caregiving context, abusive attitudes, words and actions can be experienced or committed by both the person being cared for and the caregiver.
Sophie Éthier
Full Professor, School of Social Work and Criminology, Université Laval
In a caregiving context, the person being mistreated is not always who you think!
Play Video
Mistreatment of caregivers is still a little-known, even taboo subject. Yet the phenomenon is very real. Mistreatment often manifests itself insidiously, which is why it is so important to be aware of its various sources and manifestations, in order to take preventive action.
Mistreatment of a caregiver can come from the person being cared for, but also from family and friends, and from institutions.
According to the organization Proche aidance Québec, it can take many forms, including the imposition of the caregiver’s role, judgments about the ways in which the caregiver takes on this role, denial of the caregiver’s needs, and so on.
Professionals have a role to play in preventing mistreatment. Discussing mistreatment can be difficult and emotionally charged. You can broach the subject delicately with the caregivers you work with, as well as with members of their entourage. People are not always aware that they are harming others. So it’s not uncommon for someone to be mistreated without realizing it…
The key is to talk about it! What exactly is mistreatment? What are the possible consequences for the person being mistreated? Mistreatment affects people from all walks of life, regardless of age, gender, ethnic origin or socio-economic status. Whatever the context, prevention begins with demystification.
Depending on your area of expertise, you may also be able to help identify situations of mistreatment and provide support to those who have been mistreated or are being mistreated.
In Quebec, the term well-treatment appears for the first time in the Government Action Plan to counter elder abuse (PAM) 2017–2022. In this document, the well-treatment approach is presented as a complementary lever in the fight against abuse.
A revised definition of well-treatment is then presented in the PAM 2022–2027:
Well-treatment is an approach that values respect for everyone and their needs, requests and choices, including refusals. It is expressed through attention and attitudes, collaborative interpersonal skills and expertise that respect people’s values, culture, beliefs, life path, and personal rights and freedoms. It is exercised by individuals, organizations or communities who, through their actions, place the well-being of individuals at the centre of their concerns. It is built through interactions and an ongoing search for adaptation to the other person and his/her environment.
In the context of caregiving, well-treatment can mean taking into account the point of view of the person being cared for before any action is taken. In other words, a well-treating caregiver adopts attitudes and behaviours that are positive and respectful of the wishes and preferences of the person being cared for. The support offered takes into account the specific needs of the person being cared for, in accordance with their values.
Well-treatment is sometimes confused with benevolence. Are the two synonymous?
You must be cold, Mom! I’ll bring you a blanket… It’ll make you feel better!
In this well-meaning formulation, we assume the other person’s need. So it’s not a question of well-treatment, but rather of benevolence. A well-treating caregiver would be more likely to ask the person being cared for about their needs.
Finally, it’s also important to remember that the well-treatment of caregivers is just as important as the well-treatment of those being cared for!
Play Video
Well-treatment of caregivers is a shared responsibility. It translates into attitudes and behaviours that are positive and respectful of the caregiver’s choices and preferences, on the part of the person being cared for as well as those around them and institutions. Proche aidance Québec defines well-treatment as follows:
Well-treatment towards caregivers is a global support process. It aims to promote the support of caregivers, listening to their needs, and valorizing their contribution, their experience and their expertise in everyday life to prevent mistreatment.
Recognition of caregivers lies at the heart of the well-treatment approach. It’s what makes it possible to identify caregivers, to show them gratitude, to acknowledge their reality and the potential impact of their role on their lives.
As a professional, you have a role to play in promoting well-treatment, by educating caregivers, those being cared for, family and friends, colleagues, etc., about the importance of adopting positive attitudes and behaviours that respect everyone.
You can also implement various means to improve your practice and your interventions with caregivers. Proche aidance Québec offers a number of suggestions:
Lastly, keep in mind that well-treatment is as much about individuals as it is about groups and organizations.
Why not organize a training activity in your workplace?
Need to talk?
Contact our Caregiver Support Helpline for counselling, information and referrals.
Every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Free of charge.
