Towards Human Rights in Residential Care for Older Persons : International Perspectives

This book explores the rights of older people and their quality of care once they are living in a care home, and considers how we can commence the journey towards a human rights framework to ensure decent and dignified care for older people. The book takes a comparative approach to challenges facing the care home sector for older people in Africa, the Arab world, Australia, China, England, Israel, Japan and the USA, with an international panel of experts identifying how their particular society cares for its older and oldest people, the extent to which demographic and economic change has placed their system under pressure and the role that residential elder care homes play in their culture.

People are leading significantly longer lives than previous generations did, and the proportion of older people in the population is growing. Residential care for older people will become increasingly necessary as our society ages and, we will require more of it. At this moment in time, the rights of older people receive attention at international and regional levels, with the United Nations, the Organization of American States and the African Union exploring　the possibility of establishing new conventions for the rights of older persons.

This book explores the rights of older people and their quality of care once they are living in a care home, and considers　how we can commence the　journey towards　a human rights framework　to ensure　decent and　dignified　care　for　older people. The book takes a comparative approach to present and　future challenges facing the care home sector for older people in　Africa (Kenya), the Arab world (Egypt), 　Australia, China, England, Israel,　Japan and　the USA.　An international panel of experts have contributed chapters, identifying how their particular society cares for its older and oldest people, the extent to which demographic and economic change has placed their system under pressure and the role that　residential elder　care homes play in their culture. The book also explores the extent to which constitutional or other rights form a foundation to the regulatory and legislative structures to residential elder care and　it　examines　the important　concept of dignity.　　

As a multi-regional study of the care of older person from a human rights perspective, this book will be of excellent use and interest, in particular to students and researchers of family and welfare law, long-term care, social policy,　social work,　human rights　and　elder law.