Ms Bridget Sleap:

One of the issues raised which the convention would address, which has perhaps not been addressed enough to date, is intersectional discrimination with regard to someone living with dementia. This is with regard to the intersection between older age and dementia. The convention should contain a clear prohibition on age discrimination and recognition of this intersectional multiple discrimination. This would expose and address some of the issues being described.

The convention would add to recognising the rights of people in residential or other care settings. There are some voluntary charters which look at the rights of people with dementia. There is one in Scotland. There are also such charters with regard to the rights of residents in care settings. There is a European charter on the rights and responsibilities of people in long-term care. These are just voluntary charters and a convention would bring a legal obligation to them. It would also recognise the third-party obligation of states to address the issue of public and private settings, whereby states have an obligation to protect and respect the rights of people in private settings where the services are provided by private actors as well as by public service providers.