The violation of the rights of the elderly during the pandemic

Abstract

During the most critical weeks of the health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and especially in nursing homes, it was recommended that the elderly be relegated to hospitals and intensive care units. These recommendations and their effective application in many cases could have resulted in the violation of the principle of equality (art. 14 CE), as well as the right to health (art. 43 CE) and, in connection with this, the right to life (art. 15 CE) of the affected elderly people. In nursing homes, particularly rigid and harsh isolation was also suffered, which, in addition to being detrimental to the right to freedom of movement (art. 19 CE), had such painful consequences as the death of many people in solitude. The pandemic has also increased ageism and the consequent stigmatization of the elderly, since during this time the association between old age, covid and vulnerability has been emphasized, often unjustifiably and exaggeratedly.