experience psychological abuse is significantly higher at 19.4%, which equals around 29 million people. There are no study data about the conditions in Austria. This topic will become increasingly important due to the demographic development alone and controversial due to the negative images that are associated with “ageing” in our culture. Another factor in retirement and nursing homes is that many facilities have a number of their own regulations that represent constraints and compulsion for the persons affected. Standardised mealtimes and bedtimes, days to bathe or shower or fixed seating plans are examples of frequent uses of force, which occur in everyday care and which seem harmless at first glance. The list of incidents that do not require a direct aggressor is long. In addition, there are many other forms of violence such as financial exploitation or assaults. Aggression between residents of facilities and between the persons needing care and the nursing staff are expressed as disputes, neglect or gross physical conflict. Rigid rules Sometimes it seems that not enough attention is paid to circumstances that can subsequently trigger violence. Commissions have often found, for example, that call buttons do not work or are placed where residents cannot reach them. In personal conversations residents have stated that they find it offensive that they are not listened to, that expressed wishes are denied, that they have to wait too long, that their trust is violated and that they are criticised or mocked in the presence of third parties. Residents often pick specific nursing staff members whom they trust for assistance in areas that can create feelings of shame. If the trusted person is not available, the problem is trivialised and belittled. In retirement and nursing homes, special attention should also be paid to privacy. High workload, a hectic pace and time pressure promote poor performance and misunderstandings that could be prevented with more and better communication. Knocking prior to entering a room should nevertheless be a matter of course. During their visits, commissions have unfortunately often experienced the opposite and have also seen that doors to rooms and bathrooms were left open during intimate care tasks and washing. A simple measure in rooms with multiple occupants would be visual barriers by way of screens. In the documentation of a facility in Lower Austria, the commission found an entry according to which a female resident’s nails were cut concurrently by three people. The elderly lady struggled vehemently. The commissions also observed the use of dirty plastic bibs; residents were also found wearing dirty bibs outside of mealtimes. Such situations must be designated as humiliating. If protection is required when taking meals, large, washable napkins should be used. Disregarding needs is violence In any case, it is scientifically substantiated that there is a strong connection between measures that restrict freedom and aggressive behaviour. An effective prevention strategy must therefore include 29