Stand up for older people’s rights

An Australian academic is urging aged organisations to get behind an international convention on the rights of older people.

Professor McDonald at the meeting of the UN’s expert group on the rights of older persons.

An Australian academic is urging aged care providers to promote the rights of older people after returning from a meeting of the United Nation’s expert group on the rights of older persons in Bonn, Germany.

Tracey McDonald, Professor of Ageing at the Australian Catholic University, said much of the meeting focused on the development of a convention on the rights of older persons.

“There needs to be a groundswell of support to put pressure on Australia to start thinking about older people,” she said Professor McDonald.

“We need to change the way we think about older people by moving the discourse from a needs base to a rights base.”

The proposed convention would aim to address institutional ageism and discrimination that stops older people from meeting their full potential.

Professor McDonald said the issue of older people’s rights in Australia is one that should resonate with aged care organisations.

“Even though the aged care community is very much needs focused, we have to start thinking about it in terms of equity and rights,” she said.

“We are just looking for equity for older people, we are not asking for anything special.”

With a report on a proposed bill of rights for Australia due to be released in July, Professor McDonald said the issue was particularly pertinent.

Nations in Latin America and the Caribbean are working together to draft a regional convention for older people and similar efforts are being undertaken in Asia and Europe.

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