AGE Platform Europe contribution to the consultation on an EU Strategy to combat violence against women

AGE members welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation whose outcome will accompany the Commission’s proposal for an EU strategy to combat violence against women.

As a European platform of older people’s organisations, AGE Platform Europe would like to recommend to the European Commission to tackle that the issue of violence against older women, in particular the very old and vulnerable in the proposed EU Strategy to combat violence against women . The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union states in its Article 25 that “The Union recognises and respects the rights of the elderly to lead a life of dignity and independence and to participate in social and cultural life” and older women have the same right as women of any other age to be protected against any form of violence and abuse and to live a dignified life.

Following consultation with our membership, AGE decided to focus on the challenges, content of the strategy and synergies that should be developed to fight violence against older women.

To read the consultation, please click here.

Last Updated on Thursday, 05 August 2010 13:32

Good practices linked to the Charter

Respect of the rights of older people in need of long-term care and assistance

AGE Platform Europe, together with 11 partner organizations from 10 different countries has developed a European Charter of the rights and responsibilities of older people in need of long-term care and assistance. For more information on the project, please consult the following webpage: http://www.age-platform.eu/en/daphne.

It is linked  to an Accompanying guide that provides information and examples on how the Charter can be implemented by caregivers, service providers, policy-makers and older people's organisations. At the end, a check list provides to the reader a summary of the different ways of implementing the charter. A list of good practices for each article has been selected for the guide, but all the good practices are available on that webpage.

You will find below all the good practices that AGE and the project partners have identified on the respect of the rights of older people in long-term care, according to each article of the Charter.

For more information, please contact Maude Luherne at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Last Updated on Thursday, 30 June 2011 17:54

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PRESS PACK : A European Charter of the rights and responsibilities of older people in need of long-term care and assistance

Presentation of the strategy

Elder abuse: an issue on the agenda of the European institutions in the last years

Elder abuse is increasingly being recognized as a major societal problem at the European and national levels and a Eurobarometer on long-term care services showed in 2008 that 47% of Europeans are at the view that elder abuse is widespread. The European Commission organized in March 2008 a conference on ”Protecting the dignity of older persons – the prevention of elder abuse and neglect” and the successive EU presidencies in 2008 and 2009 shown their commitment in fighting against elder abuse. The European Parliament is having a debate on an oral question and motion for resolution on ‘long-term care for older people’ and asks for a “green paper to be produced by the Commission on elder abuse and safeguarding older people in the community and in care settings”.

The European Charter of rights and responsibilities of older people in need of long-term care and assistance: a way to improve the quality of long-term care services

The Charter is the result of the EUSTACEA project against elder abuse involving 11 partners from 9 countries coordinated by AGE Platform Europe, and supported by the European Commission’s Daphne III programme (for more information on the EUSTACEA project: http://www.age-platform.eu/en/daphne ).

Last Updated on Tuesday, 05 April 2011 16:25

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Presentation

What is elder abuse?

Elder abuse is a violation of an elderly individual’s civil and human rights. One definition that is commonly used, comes from the Toronto Declaration on the Global Prevention of Elder Abuse, 2002. Elder abuse is described as, ’as a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.’ Elder abuse can take various forms: psychological (mental, emotional), physical (also medical) financial or material, sexual or discriminatory, or simply reflect intentional or unintentional neglect.

The scale of the problem

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) have recognised the abuse of older people as a significant global problem. Although the phenomenon has begun to receive increasing attention in recent years, research into its causes, its prevalence, and means to tackle it remains scarce and diffuse.

Any instance of elder abuse is an unacceptable violation of the most basic human rights and an infringement of Article 25 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights which recognizes and respects the rights of older people to lead lives of dignity and independence, and to participate in social and cultural life.

Quality standards for elder care

AGE has been working to push for the introduction of European quality care standards for community and residential eldercare services as a step towards tackling abuse in institutional settings, and to ensure that older people receive the standard of treatment they deserve.

AGE is coordinating a project to improve quality care all over the EU. For more information: WeDO - a European Partnership for the Wellbeing and Dignity of Older people.

European Charter of the rights and responsibilities of older people in need of long-term care and assistance - AGE coordinated a project, co-funded through the European Commission’s Daphne Programme, to compile a charter of the rights of vulnerable older people. The charter is linked to an accompanying guide and will pave the way for recommendations on quality care standards. For more information on the Charter and accompanying guide

Last Updated on Monday, 31 October 2011 11:46