The Possibilities for Human-Rights-Based Approach in Long-Term Care for People with Dementia in Slovenia

Abstract

The number of people with dementia is increasing, triggering a number of innovations in the organisation of long-term care. Modern concepts of care for people with dementia put their rights and active participation in care at the forefront. In this paper, we highlight the relevance of this perspective in Slovenia, where the institutional care dominates long-term care to date. Long-term care for people with dementia should be anti-discriminatory and against any kind of contempt, exclusion, labelling and stigmatisation. The organisation of institutional care for people with dementia alone will not be able to meet these objectives, therefore, we conduct a research with the method of rapid needs and services assessment to identify the practices of formal and informal care providers in implementing a ‘human-based approach’. The results of research manifest that there is a need to regulate respect for the fundamental human rights of people with dementia by (1) giving them equal access to medical treatment and early diagnosis, (2) by increasing the availability of care tailored to their needs and (3) by enabling them to exercise their right to live in the community. The rights of people with dementia to make free, autonomous and participatory decisions can serve as a model.