Too Old for Freedom? Not Too Late to Try

The physical, psychological and social aspects of care for older adults in nursing homes has been the subject of research internationally for more than 50 years. Numerous guidelines, models and principles of care have been published, yet in many facilities the lack of care which is "person-focused" remains concerning. Potentially, a return to a basic set of simple principles guiding care, ones which are intrinsically focused on the person, would be of use. Despite the plethora of models within the human care literature, looking outside of this frame might be useful not only for those in aged care at the end of life, but for older individuals more broadly. The argument for examining the "Five Freedoms" for animal welfare, which are recognized and applied internationally, is made, and suggestions for adapting this for human care, consistent within a One Health framework, are offered.