At a professional meeting of the Social Workers' Association of the Slovenian Social Welfare Institutions entitled Challenges of Dementia Management in Nursing Homes, Deputy Ombudsman Dr Dijana Možina Zupanc highlighted systemic challenges in the treatment of people with dementia. She stressed that the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia (Ombudsman) has been warning about overcrowding, inadequate living conditions, and a lack of professional staff in secure departments of social welfare institutions for more than a decade. "The Strategy for Dementia Management by 2030 was adopted two years ago, which we welcome. We now expect answers from the Ministry of Health on how its implementation is being monitored and what the next steps are. The main goal of the strategic document is not its adoption, but its implementation," she emphasised. She also drew attention to the need for deinstitutionalisation and increasing the accessibility of other forms of care for the elderly, as well as the need to accelerate the process of establishing a long-term care system. The meeting, which took place in Ankaran on 26 May 2025, provided a radical reflection on a broader social consideration of ageing and attitudes towards the elderly.

"Reports from the National Preventive Mechanism, which operates under the Ombudsman, show that waiting for a place in secure wards is a systemic problem that the state is not solving effectively, despite numerous warnings," she stressed. Elderly people with dementia often wait too long for accommodation, even in environments where there are neither conditions nor professional justification for long-term accommodation, such as psychiatric hospitals. For many years, the Ombudsman has been calling on the competent ministries to immediately approach systemic solutions: increasing capacities, improving the flow of information, establishing specialised units, and establishing a coordination function for accommodation. At the same time, it is imperative to create a deinstitutionalisation plan, which must be understood as a shift from institutional thinking to respecting independent living.

With the ageing of the population – by 2060, the proportion of elderly people is expected to exceed 29 per cent – ​​the need for long-term care is increasing, but according to Dr Možina Zupanc, the establishment of an appropriate system is progressing too slowly. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is also still not being implemented in an appropriate manner. The Strategy for Dementia Management by 2030, adopted in July 2023, represents a positive step forward, but in her opinion, it raises numerous questions, which the Ombudsman addressed to the Ministry of Health in May. Among other things, the Ombudsman expects explanations as to whether the strategy has already been evaluated and what the findings are; whether concrete proposals for political decision-makers have already been formulated, and what the assessment of the effectiveness of the measures taken is. In addition, the Ombudsman wishes to find out whether sufficient staffing is provided for the implementation of the planned measures and how this is being provided or will be provided. The Ombudsman is also interested in what the state plans in the field of dementia management by the end of 2025.

To improve the situation of older people with dementia, Deputy Ombudsman Dr Možina Zupanc highlights the need to strengthen community-based support while simultaneously strengthening quality and decent institutional care, as dementia is one of the key reasons why institutional care will remain indispensable to a certain extent, despite the current trends towards deinstitutionalisation. Secure wards must be places of protection, which requires investment, political will, and a socially mature attitude towards ageing. International recognition, and action are also needed, including the adoption of a convention for the protection of older people. In the long term, education for respect for older people and intergenerational solidarity play a key role, said Deputy Ombudsman Dr Možina Zupanc.