IACHR: States must guarantee the safety and integrity of older persons in care facilities

August 26, 2025

Washington, DC— The IACHR calls on the States of the region to ensure that care facilities for older persons are properly regulated and supervised to eradicate and prevent acts of violence. Older persons have the right to receive care without discrimination and with autonomy, independence, and security.

During 2025, publicly available information reported serious situations of violence and insecurity affecting the lives and integrity of older persons residing in care facilities. The IACHR finds it alarming that more than ten older persons have died as a result of fires in care facilities in different countries of the region.

Likewise, the violations of integrity reported in several cases include physical, verbal, and psychological abuse by care staff in these residences; poor medication provision to residents; and unsanitary conditions and lack of cleaning supplies. Arbitrary limitations on the right to live an independent life were also reported through restrictions on mobility and access to outdoor areas.

Based on the information analyzed, the IACHR notes that, following the States' inspections, some care centers were closed, their licenses revoked, and residents relocated to other institutions. Criminal proceedings have also been initiated against individuals linked to acts of violence in the administration or provision of care.

The Commission encourages the measures adopted by the States for supervision and oversight, while calling on them to strengthen these efforts in care facilities for older persons, to investigate the impacts on life, security, and integrity that occur in these places, and to provide accessible channels for filing complaints, where appropriate.

The Inter-American Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Older Persons provides that States Parties shall establish an adequate regulatory framework for the operation of long-term care services that allows for the evaluation and monitoring of the situation of older persons. In its report on the human rights of older persons and national protection systems, the IACHR reiterated the need for States to regulate and supervise the operation of care centers on an ongoing basis and to eradicate discriminatory patterns of institutionalization of older persons.

Recently, the Inter-American Court recognized the autonomous right to care and that guaranteeing this right obliges States to adopt measures to ensure access to quality care services and permanence in those services without discrimination when required, as well as to ensure that older persons can exercise self-care, respecting their autonomy and their right to live a life free from violence.

Finally, the IACHR welcomes the fact that each year more States ratify the Inter-American Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Older Persons, and calls on those States that have not yet done so to demonstrate their commitment by signing and ratifying this instrument. Currently, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, and Uruguay are parties to the Convention.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate derives from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR is composed of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 170/25

12:30 PM