1.1 Visits to social care institutions (residential homes for the elderly) In Ptuj Retirement Home, there is a common practice that, if a resident is not capable to receive a consignment, the home informs the relatives, that receive the consignment at their next visit. Such notification came as a surprise to us, because most of the residents of the secure ward were appointed a guardian by a responsible Centre for Social Work, that has to take care of the rights and duties of the resident. That is why it would be right to inform a guardian about consignments. Even more, because registered consignments often contain documents (judicial documents, provisions etc.), in which there could be a conflict of interest between the resident and his relatives. It was also proposed that the home for the elderly selects a person to take care of informing about received consignments, because that could minimise the possibility of misplacing a consignment. In a response report by the Home, it was explained that the recommendations of the NPM had been followed. It came to an misunderstanding, because the employees use a word relative in spoken language, although all residents in the secure ward are assigned their own guardian, whom a department nurse informs about a delivered consignment. If a resident does not have a special case guardian, consignment shall be served to the resident by an employee of the home for the elderly. Employees often help residents explain the contents of a consignment and furthermore inform their relatives about the consignment. When court order is being served, delivery forms shall be signed by the resident. The majority of homes for the elderly have telephone booths, in some places several rooms have fixed telephones, but they are not being used that often any more, because more and more residents have their own mobile phones. In most homes for the elderly,visits of relatives are not restricted, a home can, however, set out a schedule of when visits are welcome.(Centre for the Blind, Visually Impaired and Elderly in Škofja Loka). Homes for the elderly, where rooms have multiple beds (e.g. Ptuj Retirement Home), had been warned by the NPM that, according to the fact that there are several persons in the room, visits of relatives should not trouble or disturb other residents. In this case it would be reasonable, if possible, to provide some other appropriate area in a home, where a visit could be carried out. House rules also have to establish more precise provisions about for how long and for which reasons a visit can be restricted, and also about the supervisory system of the restrictions of visits which are ordered by the staff. The home replied that recommendations by the NPM have already been taken into account. They pointed out that a nurse does not order the time of visits, but only the appropriate place. Shorter time of visits is ordered only for immobile residents, according to their health condition. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE NPM IN 2013 NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM UNDER THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT 57