International

Update 15th May -

Age Related Policies: A Global Review on Age Discrimination Legislation
Age discrimination is an important issue for older people as it can result in unequal treatment or service. Discrimination can be a barrier to necessities of life such as income through employment or social security, access to health service, or accommodations. It can also negatively impact the self worth of an individual. Governments around the world are becoming increasingly aware of this issue, and have been responding through legislation. The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) recognizes that there is a paucity of research and resources for governments, interest groups and individuals to review various legislative responses to age discrimination from an international perspective.Read More

 

European Law for Elderly
Social protection systems not only provide cash benefits to replace earned income in the event of unemployment, sickness, invalidity or retirement, or for people without sufficient resources. They also enable people to obtain appropriate medical and long-term care services, the costs of which often exceed the financial resources of a patient and his or her family. A communication issued by the Commission in 1999 on “A Concerted Strategy for Modernising Social Protection” consequently identified ensuring high quality and sustainable health care as one of the key issues for closer co-operation among the Member States. Read More

Elder Law - USA
Among the most important legal issues affecting the elderly in America are those that have an effect on a person’s independence — the right to care for oneself even in the face of difficulty rather than to be placed under guardianship, for example, and the right to makes one’s own decisions about health care and end of life planning. Read the detail report

CONSULTATION PAPER ON LAW AND THE ELDERLY – Ireland
Increased longevity and the increase in the numbers of people living to advanced age should be regarded as a triumph and a cause for celebration. However, as with most human achievements, it may give rise to problems. Elderly people require support from income maintenance, health, housing and personal social services. The Law Reform Commission is conscious that the elderly constitute a significant and growing group who may also need specific support and protection from the legal system.While the majority of elderly people do not need any special legal support or protection, there is a significant minority who, because of illness or disability, impaired mental capacity or social and economic dependency do need protection. Read More

Elder Abuse Facts, Read here

Legal Services for Older Adults and Elder Law
One of the newest and fastest growing specialties in the legal profession is elder law. Elder law has its roots in estate and trust specialization. It also draws upon the experience of legal service attorneys representing older clients in administrative law decisions affecting their eligibility for disability, social security and other pubic benefit programs including services supported in part by the Older Americans Act. The links on this page reach information sources for consumers and professionals. Know more

M I S S I N G V O I C E S: WHO Elder Abuse Report
Elder abuse, the mistreatment of older people, though a manifestation of the timeless phenomenon of inter-personal violence, is now achieving due recognition. Prevalence studies concerning abuse of older persons have so far been restricted to developed nations. In developing countries, though, there is no systematic collection of statistics or prevalence studies, crime records, journalistic reports, social welfare records and small scale studies to provide evidence that abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of elders are widely prevalent.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognised the need to develop a global strategy for the prevention of the abuse of older people. This strategy is being developed within the framework of a working partnership between the WHO Ageing and Life Course unit of the Department of Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the WHO Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention, the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA), HelpAge International and partners from academic institutions in a range of countries – Courtesy: WHO.Read in Detail

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