About the Charter of Rights for People in Need of Long-Term Care and Assistance
The Charter of Rights for People in Need of Long-Term Care and Assistance was developed in the context of the Round Table for Long-Term Care in the period 2003-2005 by various actors from the areas of long-term care, law and ethics. The Charter plays an increasing role for those involved in the care sector. Since its publication in 2005 more than 450.000 brochures, posters, audio books of the German Charter have been distributed all over Germany. One major public relation initiative took place in 2007 when the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth circulated more than 27.000 copies to organisations throughout Germany. In the period 2010-2012, the Information Centre on Long-term Care Charter supported the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in the publicising and long-term implementation of the Charter. The Information Centre on Long-term Care Charter was preceded by the Co-ordinating Office Long-term Care at the German Centre of Gerontology (2007-2009).
The Charter was voluntarily distributed broadly by various stakeholders of the long-term care sector in order to establish it as a reference point for a broad spectrum of debate and to push quality development in the entire care and support sector. By including values such as supportiveness, humanity and respect, the Charter makes a point that quality of life of people in need of long-term care not only depends on structural and organisational factors, but also on attitudes and values of those providing care and assistance.
Indications for a growing acceptance of the German Charter are the voluntary engagement of various stakeholders of the long-term care sector for the dissemination of the Charter (consumer advice centres, care counselling centres, long-term care insurance funds’ care counselling agencies, vocational schools for elderly care, senior citizens’ special interest groups, specialized press) and ongoing public joint signatures, publications, public commitments and statements.
The Charter of Rights for People in Need of Long-Term Care and Assistance was developed in the context of the Round Table for Long-Term Care in the period 2003-2005 by various stakeholders, mostly practitioners from the areas of long-term care, law and ethics. In addition, it was one of the reference documents for the “European Charter of the Rights and Responsibilities of Older People in Need of Long-term Care and Assistance“ that was developed in the context of the EU project “A European Strategy to Combat Elder Abuse” (EUSTACEA), coordinated by AGE Platform Europe and funded by the EU DAPHNE III programme.
In the period 2010-2012 the German Centre of Gerontology had participated in the EUSTACEA follow-up project “Wellbeing and Dignity for Older People” (WeDO). It is coordinated by AGE Platform Europe and gathers 18 partners coming from 12 different member states, co-financed by DG Employment and Social affairs of the European Commission. WeDO aims at enabling all interested stakeholders to discuss, exchange experiences and good practice for quality development in long-term care both at national and EU level. For this the German experience with the German Charter of Rights for People in Need of Long-Term Care and Assistance is exemplary.
