Can you help us learn about the effects of crime on older people?
Published: 10 December 2009
- Date:
- 10 December 2009
Everyone reacts differently to crime. This research will help us learn how older people cope.
If you are 65 or over, living in Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington, and have been a victim of crime in the last three months, we’d like you to help with a study to investigate the effects of crime on older people.
Victim Support is working on the Helping Aged Victims of Crime (HAVoC) study with researchers at University College London (UCL), the Metropolitan Police, Age Concern and Help the Aged.
Your contribution will be really valuable – it will help us to better understand how people feel after becoming a victim of crime. We also hope to find out if a new care package, designed specifically for your age group, raises people’s spirits and helps them get their lives back on track. Your help will result in future specialist support and treatment for older crime victims, which isn’t currently available.
Most people will just need to complete a ten-minute survey. A small number will then be asked to take part in a face-to-face interview to further explore their feelings after the crime. A second interview will give people time to talk about the incident in more detail. After the interviews, the care package will be offered to 20 people who have been significantly affected by the crime, which researchers hope will help them to feel better.
But, of course, if you are not offered the care package, Victim Support is always here to help any victim of crime – we can support you for as long as you need us to.
The study is being funded by the Department of Health’s Research for Patient Benefit Programme.
For further information, or to get in touch with the researchers, please visit the Havoc study website.