Wednesday 23 November 2011

Elderly home care failures breach human rights, report finds

Elderly people are being robbed, left hungry and unwashed and face unchecked "ageism" from council-funded care that is meant to let them live in their own homes, a report has found.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission report into home care, which is commissioned by local authorities to help people dress, wash, eat and take medicines, said there was evidence of a "systematic failure" across the country and that elderly people's human rights were being breached.

The report which is partly based on the experiences of 1,200 older people, their friends and family, found examples of treatment that including cases of physical and financial abuse. Findings included carers neglecting tasks because councils paid for too little of their time. There was also a chronic disregard for older people's privacy and a disregard for clients' dignity when carrying out intimate tasks.

Full Article on Guardian

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