The government has now appointed an inquiry to increase safety and combat abuse in elderly and home care.
"It is not a human right to work in Swedish elderly care, but older people have the right to feel safe and secure with the staff they allow into their own home," says Minister of the Elderly and Social Insurance Anna Tenje (M) at a press conference.
Shame and guilt
In recent years, a number of cases have been brought to light where home care staff have abused care recipients.
"The door must be closed to those who are directly unsuitable to work with older people," says Tenje, mentioning that older people have been subjected to violence, rape and neglect in elderly care.
The government does not know how many cases there are, but according to Anna Tenje, the number of unreported cases is probably large.
"It is associated with a lot of shame and guilt. Many do not dare to speak up or report," she says.
If the law comes into effect, she wants to call it "lex Elsa" after an 84-year-old woman who was reported to have been abused by a home care worker in Uppsala.
Choose gender
Now the government wants older people to be able to choose the gender of their staff and to investigate whether the choice should be limited to interventions that are close to the body or affect personal integrity.
Older people should also be able to opt out of a particular employee to a greater extent when there are legitimate reasons.
"Even today, older people who receive services from elderly care have some influence over which staff will carry out the tasks. But that is not enough; we have seen several cases where relatives raised the alarm but nothing happened," says Minister of Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed (KD).
At the same time, healthcare is suffering from a major staff shortage and a statutory right to change staff could make the situation even more challenging, Forssmed admits.
The government also instructs the National Board of Health and Welfare to review the introduction of a national support line to strengthen support for individuals and relatives.
The investigation must be reported no later than June 11, 2027.
