A Study on Elderly Residents’ Sexual Harassments Experienced by the Women Care Workers in Retirement Living Facilities

Abstract

This study has been performed to investigate women worker’ experiences about sex-related abrupt situations in retirement residential facilities in Korea. In this study, 12 female care workers aging 37 to 47 were asked about in what circumstances and how seriously they experienced sex related verbal insults or violent harassments in 2011. Overall, the nurses experienced less violent harassment than in other social welfare institutions and nursing facilities. However, it is surprising that they were confronting unreasonable behaviors such as sex related coarse languages, aggressively showing sexual organs in the public, and touching sexually sensitive body portions during nursing measures from physically healthy elderly in early stages of cognitive impairments. In this study, it is proposed that retirement places need to be connected with nursing homes and elderly residing medical institutions so that the abrupt situations may be controlled by more medical professionals. It is also suggested that the men’ military responsibilities need to be applied to assisting nurses in retirement places by health science majoring college level male volunteers.