People with Disabilities and Older People in Long-Term Residential Institutions in Emergencies: The Importance of Transdisciplinarity for Ethical Decision-Making

Historical beliefs, mis-judgments, and hostility toward people with disabilities and older people put them at risk in times of emergencies. Disabled people’s organizations from different countries showed that triage processes need to be discussed through the lens of human rights and dignity, especially because of historical prejudices against people with disabilities that can still be found also among the medical personnel. In different parts of the world and in Slovenia, older people and people with disabilities who lived in long-term institutions were disproportionately affected by the spread of Covid-19. They suffered from strict protection and surveillance measures and experienced a disproportionally higher number of infections compared to older people and people with disabilities who lived at home. The chapter focuses on how social workers from the long-term residential care facilities for older people and those with disabilities in Slovenia experienced the preventive measures implemented in these residential institutions to prevent the spread of the virus. It shows the ethical dilemmas they faced. The coercive care in the long-term residential institutions violated the actual rights of the residents, their everyday needs, and dignity. The research shows conflicts between the professional ethics of social workers and the protective measures adopted by medically oriented management within these long-term residential institutions.