A/HRC/45/14 choice, information is needed about whether legal entitlements to long-term care exist, and if so, what they actually cover. If public funding support, for instance, is only available for long-term care in institutional settings, this may affect the right to receive care at home. Further restrictions may simply result from the unavailability of services, such as the lack of care providers in rural areas, which de facto prevents older persons from exercising their freedom of choice when it comes to the type of care services. 75. The significant role of informal caregivers is not reflected effectively in existing surveys. Also, indicators do not measure the level of support, if any, available to informal caregivers, such as financial compensation, respite care, or accumulation of social protection rights. These aspects need to be further developed. 76. As regards aspects of health, surveys using age cut-offs in data collection lead to incomplete information and analysis on the situation of older persons, regarding health risks and other barriers to their right to health. This could also lead to discriminatory health spending. A separate module of demographic and health surveys for older persons would be required in this regard. 77. Another topic that has received limited attention is palliative care. There is no global standard definition of palliative care, and it is unclear whether relevant statistics in this area are being collected systematically.59 The adverse effect of mental health conditions, such as depression, in the growing suicide rates among persons aged 75 and over also needs to be further substantiated.60 78. Another area of concern is the lack of data on the effect of medicines on older persons, as they are often excluded from clinical research and studies, 61 potentially leading to inappropriate medication and drug prescription, which is a major risk factor for geriatric patients.62 Systematic collection of data is essential given that older persons have different patterns of disease presentation than younger adults, respond to treatments and therapies in different ways, and frequently have complex social needs that are related to their chronic medical conditions. IV. Conclusions and recommendations 79. Currently, there is a serious gap in the data available to capture the lived realities of older persons, including in terms of enjoyment of human rights. This lack of significant data and information on older persons is, in itself, an alarming sign of exclusion and renders meaningful policymaking and normative action practically impossible. Overcoming these impediments to the realization of the rights of older persons requires a fundamental conceptual shift in method and process that takes into account the entanglement of digital and analogue realities, or the so-called digitality. 80. Data is significant for the realization of human rights. It is necessary in order to provide evidence of the extent of the challenges faced by older persons and of the policy and legislative needs. Data collection is crucial to create visibility and build an evidence base about human rights impediments for older persons and potential responses, to dispel stereotypes that feed ageism, stigma and discrimination, and to aid policymakers and advocates in the formulation of measures regarding antidiscrimination action, socioeconomic inclusion, and access to health and care. 81. There is a need to set standards and reporting requirements for data gathering, in order to improve the existing data ecosystem and as an important impetus for statistical offices to gather more data on older persons. 59 60 61 62 Economic Commission for Europe, Recommendations on Ageing-related Statistics, prepared by the Task Force on Ageing-related Statistics. A/67/188, para. 33. See www.age-platform.eu/sites/default/files/AGE_letter_to_world_data_forum_Jan2016.pdf. A/HRC/30/43/Add.2, para. 78. 17