12.04.2019
In view of the recently published news of the mistreatment suffered by two elderly women in a nursing home in Hortaleza, Madrid, the undersigned organizations express our strongest condemnation of such despicable acts.
According to UN data, between 4% and 6% of elderly people in the world have suffered some form of abuse and mistreatment. In Spain, according to some studies, the figures are quite similar. Only a minority, less than 10%, report any of these situations.
We defend that people, regardless of their state and health condition, have the right to receive attention and care that, based on their needs, guarantees their fundamental rights and respects their preferences and wishes; in this sense, we call on public administrations to develop and promote a model of person-centered care, whose axis and principles are rooted in the defense of dignity, personalization and autonomy, key aspects that define what we all consider to be good treatment.
In the same way, we believe it is urgent to deepen the development of protocols to detect the existence of mistreatment in any environment, as well as effective control mechanisms to detect and, above all, prevent it. Training and support for workers is essential to face the complexity of caring for people in situations of dependency and extreme fragility. Likewise, work in the field of care requires personal competencies and skills that must be essential in the selection processes. All this within the framework of respect for decent working conditions that will favor the social recognition of these professionals.
For all these reasons, and even assuming that this behavior of two workers now known, is not generalizable, nor is it usual in nursing homes, we want to make the following considerations:
The mistreatment of the elderly is a reality in our country. Reality that occurs in centers and residences but also in the homes themselves. The abusers are people close to us. The society lives with its back turned to this reality. The identification of a single case should be cause for alarm and requires intervention wherever it occurs.
Abuse is a violation of the rights of those who suffer it and takes many forms, most of them less visible and subtle than physical abuse, but no less serious for that.
It is essential to become aware of this reality in order to combat it. We need an Equal Treatment Act for all people, regardless of their age. We need to be aware that the elderly are not objects of protection, but subjects of rights.
We demand equal treatment among people. We also demand respect for everyone. In any situation and at any age. Discrimination on the grounds of age and especially of frailty requires action by public authorities and society in general.
Signatory entities: Grandes Amigos, Help Age España, Matia Fundazioa, Fundación Pilares para la autonomía personal.
If you wish to adhere to this communiqué, we invite you to contact one of the promoting entities.