Elderly participation in European Health policy and Patients Rights Teresa Petrangolini ACN Director.

Elderly participation in European Health

policy and Patients’ Rights

Teresa PetrangoliniACN Director

The aim of the Conference: Active ageing and patients rights perspective

• ageing patients must be considered as essential and responsible stakeholders: they can contribute to overcome the health systems crisis

• ageing patients not as a problem to deal with but as active participants in the problem solving

A required connection: Active ageing and patients rights perspective

• The 6° European Patients’ Rights Day is dedicated to elderly participation because:

- patients rights, especially for elder people, are at risk

- the ongoing global economic crisis is challenging the social European model

 The recent financial crisis together with public expenditure policies make more and more urgent the setting up of a reform.  The real looming danger is that social and health expenditure could be considered as a cost to be cut down and that the equity principle could be converted into a questionable criteria

European Charter of Patients’ Rights 1. Right to Preventive

Measures2. Right of Access3. Right to Information4. Right to Consent5. Right to Free Choice6. Right to Privacy and

Confidentiality7. Right to Respect of

Patients’ Time

8. Right to the Observance of Quality Standards9. Right to Safety10. Right to Innovation11. Right to Avoid Unnecessary Suffering and Pain12. Right to Personalized Treatment13. Right to Complain14. Right to Compensation

Active ageing to support patients rights protection

Promote an empowered ageing patient, capable of interacting appropriately with services and institutions, with a special attention on the sustainability and effectiveness of social and health care systems

The active citizens’ rightslinked the rights of civic association (art. 12, section 1, Charter

of fundamental rights)

• the right to perform general interest activities

• the right to carry out advocacy activities

• the right to participate in policy-making

(European Charter of Patients’ Rights).;.

The European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations: objectives

• to raise general awareness of the value of active ageing and to ensure a prominent position in the political agenda;• to stimulate debate, to exchange information, to develop mutual learning , to identify and disseminate good practices and to encourage cooperation and synergies• to develop innovative solutions, policies and long term strategies with the involvement of civil society• to combat age discrimination and stereotypes

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Article 25 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of EU

“the Union recognizes and respects the rights of the elderly to lead a life of dignity and independence and to participate in social and cultural life”

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Europe 2020: a 10-year strategy proposed by the EC (3 March 2010) for reviving the economy of the European Union

•"smart, sustainable, inclusive growth“• the success of the Europe 2020 depends on the involvement of all sections of society, non governmental organizations and individuals too• Best practice, benchmarking, networking activities

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These strategies and these slogans would be empty words without the active presence of elderly citizens and without their experiences

The Conference aim is to present and to share the good practices collected: 40 in 18th European countries

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• the existence of an informed and competent citizenship who is able to intervene in each phase of the public policies to facilitate better decisions, reduces the wastage, increases the appropriate use of service, produces innovative solutions;

• the existence of a wide reserve of elderly population in good health, often with good general knowledge and generally available for voluntary job.

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Workshops and final recommendations

Share the BP information and suggestions to plan and support a new welfare policy at European, national and local level, focused on:• Ageing empowerment and inclusion• Citizens participation improvement• democratization and transparency of public institutions• decrease of wastage and privileges• combining budgetary needs, universality of rights, prevention and care strategic goals.

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“The greatest empowerment is realized when, through dialogue, we advance from a shared awareness and concern about a difficult situation to a shared pledge or vow to achieve its resolution” (Daisaku Ikeda)