[Text on screen]: Millions of older people suffer human rights violations every year...including job discrimination, neglect and physical abuse.

How human rights protect older people.

Older people now make up almost ⅕ of the UK’s population.

Like all of us, their rights are protected by The European Convention on Human Rights.

But over 500,000 elderly people are abused in the UK every year.

Some cases of elder abuse in healthcare even result in death.

Between 2005 and 2008, older patients at Mid Stafford Hospital were subject to extreme abuse.

Left without food or medication for extended periods...even left to sit in faeces or urine for hours at a time.

The European Convention on Human Rights protects:

- our right to dignity
- our right to not be discriminated against
- and our right to life

Meaning nobody can be refused healthcare because of their age...and occupants of care homes must be treated with dignity and respect.

Around 40,000 ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders are placed on dying patients each year...naturally, many of these are elderly.

Thanks to various human rights judgements, patients must now be properly consulted before a DNR order is applied.

Article 8 of the ECHR protects our right to family and private life…including being involved in decisions relating to life-saving healthcare.

The UN’s Principles for Older Persons also sets out certain human rights for the elderly, including:

- Independence: access to food, shelter and income
- Care: access to institutional and health care
- Dignity: freedom from exploitation and abuse

Older people are among the most vulnerable in our society. They often rely on others for even their most basic needs. We need to make sure those needs are met by fighting for their rights.