Pensioners will tomorrow claim they were victims of ageism during the first coronavirus wave.
OAPs will point to “do not resuscitate” notices posted above the beds of elderly Covid-19 patients and spikes in deaths in care homes as proof they “faced shocking and unprecedented breaches of their human rights”.
The allegations will be aired during an online debate on 'Ageism, Older People’s Human Rights and Hate Crime', hosted by the National Pensioners' Convention.
The campaign group said: “2020 has been a terrible year for us all, but most particularly for our oldest and most vulnerable.
“Not only were they at the greatest risk of losing their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, many also faced shocking and unprecedented breaches of their human rights.
“Evidence has emerged of elderly patients being discharged from hospitals to care homes without virus testing; ‘Do Not Attempt to Resuscitate’ signs being issued for some older patients without consultation; and a horrendous lack of PPE and testing in care homes.
“It shows how the care system struggled to cope during the pandemic and poses wider questions on how policymakers felt able to take decisions that breached the human rights of our eldest citizens.”
NPC general secretary Jan Shortt said: “The human rights of older people sadly played very little part in the first lockdown.
“As we move into winter where cold-related deaths are monitored, we must also ensure the tragedies of the first lockdown are not repeated – and look to a future where older people are not ‘expendable’ but properly protected and valued.”
