EHRC report

Responding to reports today an Equality and Human Rights Commission inquiry in England has found that the care of some older people in their homes is so poor, their human rights are being overlooked, Victoria Lloyd, Age Cymru's Director of Influencing and Programme Development says:

"While this inquiry was carried out in England, we are obviously very concerned that its findings could be mirroring the experiences of older people in Wales.

"Human rights must be respected at all times to ensure that older people are being protected from abuse and that their dignity is always maintained.

"Human rights are not an optional extra and, along with dignity, they must always be at the centre of health and care services.

"Providing care for older people at home should not be about completing tasks in whatever is the quickest or cheapest way.

"Care services must support older people's wellbeing and independence and decent care is about looking after a fellow human being in the way that we would like to be cared for when we are older.

"We must ensure that all of the learning from the England experience is fully taken on board and utilised for the benefit of older people in Wales."