A key aspect of dementia policy and campaigning work across Europe over the past two decades has been to emphasise that people with dementia have the same human rights and that they should not be treated differently because of their condition. This approach is one that is embedded within the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) ¹.

As such, we were keen to see the extent to which PANEL principles (participation; accountability; non-discrimination and equality; empowerment; and legality) were evident in the strategies. In doing so, we have broken down the analysis into two subsections, with the first providing a broader overview of how rights were referred to and incorporated into strategies, and the second examining legal matters in relation to rights, including through legal capacity, proxy decision-making etc.

Footnotes

1           Not all European countries are within the jurisdiction of the ECHR, whilst some have not ratified the UNCRPD. However, the similar protections afforded by both conventions can be seen as robust indicators of legal rights which should be afforded to people with dementia and their carers.