In a workshop organized on 5 June, ahead of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, ENNHRI has joined forces with Age Platform Europe, UNI Europa and the European Commission to explore the working conditions in the care sector and their implications on the rights of workers, the quality of services and the dignity of older persons.

The workshop aims at developing a more comprehensive, shared understanding of the quality of care services and brings together care professionals, representatives of older persons organisations, policy makers and socio-economic experts.

Part 1 of the workshop will be setting the scene, discussing elder abuse and safeguarding the dignity of older persons in need of care as well as the working conditions of care professionals.

In Part 2, participants will discuss joint narratives and concrete steps for improving both the quality of care and the working conditions of the staff.

Ciara O’Dwyer, co-ordinator of ENNHRI’s Project on the Human Rights of Older Persons and Long-Term Care (which was implemented between 2015-2017), and Anna Chabiera, from the Office of the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights, will highlight the NHRIs experience in promoting and protecting the human rights of older persons in long-term care. ENNHRI Secretary General, Debbie Kohner, will provide the closing remarks.

“We have the same rights”

ENNHRI’s project led the way to a Human Rights-based Approach to Long-term Care in Europe. The project report “We have the same rights” identified key trends in the human rights situation relating to LTC in Europe, which form a solid basis for the upcoming discussions on the long term-care agenda of the European Commission.

The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day takes place every year on 15 June.