A new report shows that basic human rights are violated in elderly care.
Anette Lind Adamsson testifies about how her mother was neglected in a nursing home.
– I went out into the kitchen and there I found my mother sleeping with her face in a plate of cold food, she tells TV4 Nyheterna.
Anette Lind Adamsson’s mother was 87 years old when she got a place in a nursing home. Already on the first visit, it was clear that everything was not right.
– I went out into the kitchen and there I found my mother sleeping with her face in a plate of cold food. A couple of meters away, two guys are sitting and scrolling on the phone. They were the ones who were supposed to work over the weekend, says Anette Lind Adamsson.
During another visit to the home, Anette Lind Adamsson checks a crack her mother got on her foot, which was previously on the way to healing.
– We get a complete shock, her feet are open wounds with dead tissue and where. The feet are completely destroyed, says Anette Lind Adamsson.
The human rights of the elderly are violated
A new report raises the alarm about ageism in care for the elderly, which normalizes the shortcomings. The self-determination of the elderly is limited in a way that causes fundamental human rights to be disregarded.
– If you are not fully involved, it is also dangerous. It can eventually spill over and affect the security of a home, says Fredrik Malmberg, director at the Institute for Human Rights, which has produced the report.
The report also shows that needs such as participation in the community and physical exercise are made invisible.
Lost the spark of life
Anette Lind Adamsson pointed out the shortcomings of the accommodation, but it led nowhere and no one responded to their complaints. It got worse for her mother, who became increasingly depressed.
– She lost the spark of life. We tried to have coffee and visit, she didn’t want to. Finally “give me a syringe so I can die”.
After some time, the mother moved to another residence, where she died a month later.
– It’s damnable that you shouldn’t get respect when you’re older, that you should have good care, but it shouldn’t cost money. It’s ugly to grow old in Sweden, says Anette Lind Adamsson.