2026-10-06

Elderly care needs to be safer for women

Elderly care needs a clearer gender perspective. Zonta International District 21 wants to see better procedures and mandatory risk assessments to prevent older women from being subjected to abuse, neglect or abuse.

Older women may be particularly vulnerable when they are dependent on others for personal care. Loneliness, cognitive impairment and extensive care needs can make it more difficult to detect and report vulnerability.

Zonta District 21 is therefore calling for three changes:

• a clearer gender perspective in elderly care routines,
• systematic risk assessments when older women find themselves in particularly vulnerable situations, and
• that older women regularly receive questions about safety, treatment and vulnerability.

– Older women must be given the same right to safety, dignity and a life free from violence and abuse, regardless of age., says Marjola Kock, governor of Zonta International District 21.

Read more

In a debate article in Today's Society Marjola Kock explains why elderly care needs a clearer gender perspective and why systematic risk assessments are important.

Read the full article at Dagens Samhälle here:
Zonta International proposes risk assessments for older women – Dagens Samhälle