While in France everyone, regardless of age or frailty, can again move around freely, respecting the measures of barriers and distancing, this freedom is still not granted to older persons living in institutions. This goes against their fundamental right, as citizens, to come and go, according to AD-PA, the Association des Directeurs au service des Personnes Agées (and member of the European Ageing Network – EAN). Together with the association Vivre et Vieillir Ensemble en Citoyen (AVVEC), they have lodged an appeal before the state council to allow older residents living in institutions to be free to leave.
From the very beginning of the epidemic, they called for attention to be paid to the psychological and emotional health of vulnerable older people as much as to their physical health. AD-PA and AVVEC therefore expect a lot from this decision, in order to allow residents to be considered as any citizen, regardless of where they live, and thus regain their freedom as well as the pleasure of sharing moments with relatives outside their home.
