CODE | GER2021 | ||||||
TITLE | Legal Issues in Later Life | ||||||
UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||
ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||
DEPARTMENT | Gerontology and Dementia Studies | ||||||
DESCRIPTION | In the last two decades, the field of 'legal issues in later life' has developed significantly, as evidenced by the well-established body of literature now connected with the field. This development has been taking place across different areas of practice and interest as well as across borders and legal jurisdictions. Health and poverty advocates are finding their practices increasingly focused on legal issues involving poor older people, such as pensions, housing, or long-term care legislation. In the wake of the growing international activity - for example the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing of 2002 and regional initiatives such as European Commission Green Paper on Demographic Change - various national and local community legal services are providing information, advocacy, and representation for older persons in need. This study unit will explore and discuss the field of elder law, discussing such arenas as last wills and testaments, euthanasia, guardianships and conservatorships, estate planning, inheritance, marriage and divorce in later life, elder abuse, age discrimination, and funeral planning. Study-unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit is to provide students with knowledge pertaining to various aspects of elder law - namely, - government benefits - housing options - age discrimination - economics of retirement - disability law - bankruptcy - estate planning - institutionalisation - fraud issues - abuse - inheritance - funeral planning - marriage and divorce - guardianships and conservatorships Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - differentiate between duties and rights of older persons. - explain the rights of older persons with respect to autonomy, independence and privacy. - differentiate gaurdianships and conservatorships. - explain the overlap between health care and legal issues. - outlining the key issues in the law of inheritance and succession. - explain the role of gaurdianships and conservatorships. - comprehend legal technical knowledge. - demonstrate an understanding of the letters of instruction and administration. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - aid the Ombudsman in dealing with late-life cases. - guide an older persons to the right channels for drafting of wills and last testaments. - assist gaurdianships and conservatorships. - assist attorneys in elder law practice, especially in administering adult foster care. - outline the possible legal options for victims of age discrimination and elder abuse. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main text: - Beyond elder law. Edited by Israel Doron and Ann M. Soden. New York: Springer, 2012. Supplementary texts: - Gallo, Nancy R. (2009) Elder law. Washington: Delmar Cengage Learning. - Convention on the international protection of adults. Online: http://www.hcch.net/e/conventions/menu35e.html. - Doron I, Hoffman A (2005) Time for law: legal literacy and gerontological education. Gerontological Education, 31(8):627–642. - Doron I (2002) Elder guardianship kaleidoscope: a comparative legal perspective. Int J Law, Policy Family 16(3):368–398. |
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ADDITIONAL NOTES | This study-unit is only offered to students following the Higher Diploma in Gerontology and Geriatrics course | ||||||
STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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LECTURER/S | Jake Azzopardi Christian Borg Xuereb Mary Rose Micallef |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |