Course Code
Academic Year
This course covers the unique legal issues affecting the elderly, and the role that the paralegal can play in protecting their interests and enforcing their rights. Students examine consent to treatment hearings by the Consent and Capacity Board, eligibility for pension, survivor, and disability benefits, advocacy for mentally incapable persons in mental hospitals, landlord and tenant disputes in the context of care homes, and consumer protection for the disadvantaged. In the area of human rights, discrimination based on age, and the duty to accommodate disabled persons receives special attention. The impact of powers of attorney for personal care and for property under the Substitute Decisions Act is thoroughly canvassed, together with issues of capacity and guardianship.