Older people face struggles every day.

Imagine spending your whole life with the person you love: you’ve owned a home, raised a family and grown older together.

But when your partner of many, many years is no longer well enough to stay at home, they’re forced to go into a residential care home.

You want to move with them, but your local council decides that you don’t fit the criteria.

The Human Rights Act has been used in cases just like this to help keep older couples together. It places public authorities, like hospitals and social services, under an obligation to respect people’s family and private lives, including their relationships.