How we secured a place for decent elderly care in the government platform

Task

DaneAge is fighting for a change in elderly care so that it becomes more safe, present, human and, not least, decent. An important cause – but in 2021, at the municipal and regional elections, it fought for the attention of both the population and politicians at a time when COVID-19, inflation and climate also occupied the agenda.

The background to the campaign was a long series of analyses that showed that help for the elderly had been cut to a drastic level far below decency. They formed the basis for the campaign’s three tracks:

1. My home is a train station, which illustrates how it feels when there is a constant change of care staff.
2. My home is a prison as there are no resources to help the elderly outside their homes.
3. My home is a pigsty as it is not cleaned properly – nor is there the necessary help for personal care.

All expressions derived from the analysis and the elderly and relatives’ own statements.

Therefore, the task was to make decent elderly care a central agenda in the run-up to the municipal and regional elections in November 2021.

In 2022, we focused once again on dignified elderly care in connection with the opening of the Danish Parliament and the subsequent election campaign. The target group was politicians and then the general public.

Solution

The solution in 2021: There were many good reasons to speak up and take to the barricades. The problem was that the elderly can’t do it themselves – they rely on help from others.

The campaign “Decent elderly care NOW” was to activate the elderly, relatives and caregivers in a joint movement that has a spillover effect on the rest of the Danes and influences political Denmark. This was achieved through inviting and insistent communication that hit home, created drive and natural initiative among the recipients.

The campaign concept combined homely images of coziness, porcelain and needlework with references from activism, rebellion and political movements.

In 2022, the solution was an “escape room” where politicians could experience being a caregiver in a purpose-built elderly home. Here, politicians got a first-hand understanding of the challenges of being a caregiver and struggling to find time for both presence and care for senior citizens. This was combined with ads in newspapers and a social media campaign.

Result

Decent elderly care has become an established cause – also beyond DaneAge’s own universe. For example, it became one of the most important issues for Danes in the 2021 municipal and regional elections. And in the Danish parliamentary elections in 2022, the topic went from being outside the top five to being in the top three of the most important agendas for Danes. Not least, decent elderly care became part of the government platform.

The 2022 campaign won an award at the European Excellence Award 2023 in the NGO & Associations category and was also nominated in the Public Affairs and Innovation of The Year categories.