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Tove Harnett. Foto: Sanna Dolck Wall

Tove Harnett

Senior lecturer | PhD in Social Work

Tove Harnett. Foto: Sanna Dolck Wall

Introducing an equal rights framework for older persons in residential care

Author

  • Håkan Jönson
  • Tove Harnett

Summary, in English

This article reconceptualizes residential care for older persons by introducing a framework developed from a rights-based principle of disability policies, the normalization principle. This principle is part of the social model and states that society should make available for people who have impairments living conditions that are as close as possible to those of “others.” Using the framework on the case of eldercare in Sweden shows that although disability policies have used people without impairments as a comparative (external) reference group for claiming rights, eldercare policies use internal reference groups, basing comparisons on other care users. The article highlights the need for external comparisons in eldercare and suggests that the third age, which so far has been a normative reference group for older people, could be a comparative reference group when older persons in need of care claim rights to equal conditions.

Department/s

  • School of Social Work
  • Ageing and Eldercare

Publishing year

2016

Language

English

Pages

800-806

Publication/Series

The Gerontologist

Volume

56

Issue

5

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Topic

  • Gerontology, specializing in Medical and Health Sciences

Status

Published

Project

  • Improving everyday conditions by reconceptualising elder care through the lense of disability policies

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1758-5341