Yesterday, Julie Morgan, the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Care, launched two new resources to raise awareness of older people’s rights, alongside a consultation about the Strategy for an Ageing Society.
The resources are designed to help people receiving and providing care better understand what older people’s rights are. There are two versions of the resource – one for older people and one for local authority staff who provide care to older people.
The guides – ‘Making rights work for older people’ and ‘Making rights work for older people: Guidelines for health and social care’ – are centred around the UN Principles for Older Persons, which were adopted by the UN General Assembly on 16 December 1991.
Under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, local authorities and other service providers must take these principles into account when providing care and support to older people.
The resources aim to empower older people to take control and recognise when their rights are being compromised, while also raising awareness of the rights among professionals and how they can make sure these rights are being met.
The resources include examples of how to apply the principles when providing care and support, and emphasise the importance of everyday small actions in achieving this.
We developed the resources with support from the Making Rights Real working group.
Download Making rights work for older people and Making rights work for older people: Guidelines for health and social care.