To mark the World Awareness Day on Elder Abuse, AGE is co-organising, together with the Council of Europe and the European Commission, a stakeholder seminar on older people’s human rights in the area of long-term care. The event, which will take place in Brussels on 23th June, will examine how to strenghten legal protection against elder abuse.
Human rights for older persons in Europe: Who cares?
Joint Council of Europe/DG Employment/AGE Platform Europe seminar
Brussels, Monday 23rd June
Following on from World Awareness Day on Elder Abuse (15 June), the 47-nation Council of Europe, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and AGE Platform Europe are jointly organising a stakeholder seminar focusing on human rights for older persons, particularly looking at issues related to long-term care.
The aim of the event is to raise awareness and understanding among policy-makers, civil society and other relevant stakeholders of the changing political and legal framework in this area, and to discuss how best to protect older persons from abuse through a rights-based approach to long-term care.
The seminar will include presentations of the Council of Europe’s recent recommendation on human rights for older persons – linked to relevant case law under the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter – and the new report on long-term care from the European Union’s Social Protection Committee.
The seminar will take place at the Council of Europe office in Brussels (Avenue des Nerviens, 85) from 10am to 12.30pm on Monday 23 June 2014.
Seizing the occasion of this high-level seminar, AGE Platform Europe organized a closed expert workshop on the afternoon of the same day, aiming to build on the morning presentations and gather input from experts from the region on the following questions:
1. What are the rights of older persons in care settings and are they different from the right to independence and community living under article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities?
2. How to crystalise the rights of older people in care, taking due account of palliative and end-of-life care?
3. Is elder abuse, violence and neglect an inhuman and degrading treatment?
4. How does cost-effectiveness affect the enjoyment of the right to health and long-term care?
5. How can we change attitudes in the care sector?
The outcomes of this workshop are compiled in a policy brief, which aims to inform future debate on the rights of older people and was submitted as a written contribution to the fifth session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing.
For more information: Please contact Maude Luherne, Policy and Projects Officer maude.luherne@age-platform.eu
and Nena Georgantzi, Legal Officer nena.georgantzi@age-platform.eu
