Services Standards: Defining the Core Consumer Elements ... - ANEC

Services Standards
Form of contract
conclusion
Smart house
services for
elderly and
disabled
people
NEN/SN
(project),
Residential
homes for
elderly people
AFNOR
(project)
and AFNOR NF
X 50-058
AFNOR NF X
50-058
5.1.3.2. Register
inscription in a
formalised
document
without
payment,
5.1.4.4. no
signing on
behalf of
resident by
family members
4. Content of the contract
Services for
resident people
(project)
and
AFNOR NF X
50-056
CEN/CENELEC
Guide 6
Guidelines for
standard
developers to
address the
needs of older
persons and
persons with
disabilities
8.7.1.
information
should be made
available in text
format whenever
possible,
however, due
respect to
personal
disabilities
Assisted living
for the elderly
DIN 77800
4.1.1.1. detailed
list to be made
available in
written form
All in all it might fairly be concluded that the standards put much emphasis on
the pre-contractual stage, including the process of contract conclusion. They
even define a certain minimum content of the contract but they remain less
outspoken on the rights and remedies of the clients.
a) Affordability, minimum content, safety, quality, payment
The French approach is remarkable in that AFNOR NF X 50-056 explicitly
refers to the minimum requirements written down in the French Code de la
Consommation. However, the standard does not discuss whether the rules in
the French Code de la Consommation cover the particularities of a contract
between an elderly person and a residential home. The approach remains
formalistic in that the law is taken as a benchmark. It is plain that such a
contract requires more careful information on all sorts of issues, in particular on
the type of services, on the price for the services and on the total price if the
client needs accommodation, nutrition and care. It is a well-known problem in
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