Retirement and nursing homes XX  Persons with mental illnesses must be cared for in compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in low-threshold and local care settings. Misplacements must be reversed and stopped. XX  Specific needs-based care concepts must be established for the treatment of persons with chronic psychiatric diseases. XX  Individual support measures that facilitate full reintegration should be part of the rehabilitative treatment concept. 2.1.7 Positive observations On a positive note, most institutions, facilities and operators were able to see and accept the suggestions made by the commissions as welcomed feedback. The scope or content of the OPCAT mandate are only questioned in exceptions. The recommendations of the NPM are recognised to a great extent and some of them quickly implemented, as the following examples show. Reaction to recommendations by the NPM First and foremost, heightened awareness for both the mechanical and medication-based restriction of freedom was achieved in the area of the “core mandate” of the NPM, the monitoring of measures that restrict freedom. There were report updates and the recommendation of an evaluation was followed through by taking up contact with the representatives of the residents. In some cases, training on the Nursing and Residential Homes Residence Act (Heimaufenthaltsgesetz) or changes in documentation were announced. Several facilities reported that meetings with the competent general practitioner have brought about improvement in cooperation and the issue of more precise prescriptions for administering the appropriate medication. In December 2017 the President of the Austrian Healthcare and Nursing Association assured the NPM in writing and in reaction to last year’s report that an e-learning tool for nursing staff is being developed that provides information about the Nursing and Residential Homes Residence Act and resulting obligations. It should also help in implementing alternatives for medication-based and mechanical restrictions of freedom. This tool is scheduled to be deployed in further training sessions in 2018. Measures that restrict freedom The NPM made many recommendations on how nursing homes should be organised in order to enable those in need of care to keep their individual routines in this living environment. It is important to the NPM that the nursing process routines are not so formalised that they obstruct these claims. Accommodating the requirements of those in need of care has been proved to prevent violence. The subjective quality of life of the residents is thus improved. Normality principle Some retirement and nursing homes have acted on these recommendations and changed work rosters for example, introduced a late shift and stopped having evening meals so early or scheduled them more flexibly. A nursing 39