The Center for Social Gerontology
2307 Shelby
Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 tel: 734 665-1126 fax: 734 665-2071
tcsg@tcsg.org
LAW &
AGING
The
Center for Social Gerontology, Inc. (TCSG), since its inception in 1972, has
been a non-profit research, training and social policy organization dedicated
to promoting the individual autonomy of older persons and advancing their
well-being in society. TCSG has pursued this goal through a wide variety of
projects, including serving since 1985 as an Administration on Aging-funded
National Support Center in Law & Aging.
TCSG's
mission is to help society adapt to the dramatic increase in the numbers of old
and very old, and to insure that older persons at all socio-economic and health
levels are able to meet their needs and use their talents and abilities in a
changing society. We undertake to lead, and even prod, policy makers and others
to consider carefully the implications of the aging of America in formulating
social policies and programs.
This
web site on Law & Aging was
created to provide information on a variety of topics related to the law and
older Americans.
This
site is divided into the following main sections:
Best Practices & Lessons Learned from Model Approaches to
Statewide Legal Assistance Systems 
This section of TCSG's site is devoted to best
practices and lessons learned from Model Approaches grantee states. Documents
and information are included.
State Legal Services Development -- Including Daily Legal
& Elder Rights News Reports
This section of TCSG's site is devoted to State Legal
Services Development and has been created to provide substantial information
and resources which will enhance efforts by Legal Services Developers,
providers of legal services for the elderly, state and area agencies on aging,
policymakers and others to promote elder rights advocacy and the delivery of
legal services to the most vulnerable older Americans. Included are complete
lists of each state's Legal Services Developer, legal services providers for
older persons and legal hot lines for older Americans.
This
section of the site is divided into the following main sections:
RECENT
NEWS: DAILY UPDATES ON LEGAL SERVICES & ELDER RIGHTS DEVELOPMENTS
LISTINGS
OF LEGAL SERVICES DEVELOPERS & ELDER LAW PROGRAMS
OLDER
AMERICANS ACT INFORMATION & LINKS
THE
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES OF LEGAL SERVICES DEVELOPERS
TCSG's
COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE DELIVERY OF LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO OLDER PERSONS
LEGAL
NEEDS SURVEYS OF OLDER AMERICANS
POWERPOINT
PRESENTATION ON SELECTING A TITLE IIIB LEGAL PROVIDER
ELDER
RIGHTS ADVOCACY
REPORTING
SYSTEMS FOR LEGAL SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY
INFORMATION
& DATA ON OAA LEGAL SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY
ELDER
LAW NEWSLETTERS
KEY
LINKS
Older Americans Act Reauthorization, with Complete
Unofficial Compilation of the 2006 Act
TCSG provides comprehensive information on the Older
Americans Act (OAA) related to its 2006 reauthorization by Congress. Included
is an UNOFFICIAL COMPILATION of the 2006 OAA as amended, prepared by TCSG. Also
included are updates related to the reauthorization of 2006 and links to
relevant resources. The site also contains background information on prior
reauthorizations of the OAA, a link to the official version of the OAA as
amended in 2000 as found in the U.S. Code, a summary of Congressional actions
related to the year 2000 reauthorization of the OAA, together with other
information on the OAA, with special focus on legal services and elder rights.
Best Practice Notes is published periodically by TCSG.
Each issue includes one or more articles on timely substantive and delivery
issues in the field of law and aging. Past issues can be viewed or downloaded
on-line.
Legal Needs Surveys of Older Americans
Legal Needs of Older Ohioans: A 2008 Survey This December 2008 survey and report on the legal
needs of Ohio's older persons was prepared by AARP Knowledge Management in
collaboration with Pro Seniors, Inc in order to “understand the legal and
personal challenges currently being faced by older low-income Ohioans.” The
survey findings in this 49-page report are plentiful and indicate “there is a
need for free legal services for older Ohio residents, as well as an
opportunity for state officials and organizations to make strides in areas to
improve legal options” for these older Ohioans. 12,000 Ohioans age 60+ with
income below $32,000 were targeted in a survey mailed March-May 2008, and 47%
met income target. The respondent sub-groups are also identified in the 4,715
surveys that were returned, a 39% response rate. To read a pdf copy of the
study including its findings in entirety, please click here.
Legal Needs of Older Floridians: A 2006 Survey This 2007 AARP publication, prepared by Erica L. Dinger,
AARP Knowledge Management, reports results from the 2006 Florida legal needs
study. The 62-page report provides data on the legal needs and concerns of
older Floridians that include healthcare coverage, housing issues, hurricane
repair, and consumer issues. Conducted in October through December 2006,
surveys were mailed to 13,000 Floridians. Persons age 60 and older with incomes
below $30,000 a year were targeted, and an over-sample of Hispanic Floridians
was drawn. The response rate was 29%, with over 3,750 surveys returned. A
demographic profile of respondents is included in the report, and annotated
questionnaires for the entire sample and for the Hispanic respondents are
included as appendices. To access a copy of this report in pdf, please click here.
Elderly Legal Assistance Program: Report on the
Legal Needs of Seniors in Georgia
This September, 2006 report was prepared for the Georgia Division of Aging
Services by the Planning and Evaluation Section Quality Assurance Team in
collaboration with the Georgia Legal Services Developer, Natalie Thomas. This
23-page report provides an assessment of the legal needs of Georgia's senior
population. In the fall of 2005, the Division of Aging Services sent a survey
form to 1,596 seniors; the response rate was nearly 30%. The survey was based
on a similar survey done in Utah in 2004, and assistance with the Georgia
survey was provided by TCSG staff and TCSG Consulting Attorney Jilenne Gunther,
who was the co-author of the Utah study. The purpose of the study was to assess
(a) the legal needs of Georgia's seniors, (b) their awareness of available
legal services, (c) their experiences with and perceptions of lawyers, (d) the
barriers seniors have with using lawyers, (e) legal issues that concern
seniors, and (f) the legal services that would have the most benefit for them.
To access the 23-page report, in pdf format, click here.
Planning for the Legal Needs of Utah's Seniors This 2004 survey and report on the legal needs of
Utah's older persons was conducted and written by Jilenne Gunther, J.D.,
M.S.W., Alan Ormsby, J.D., and Nathan Stephens, B.S. The study assesses the
legal needs of Utah's seniors, their perceptions of and experiences with
attorneys, their awareness of current legal services, and the barriers to
obtaining legal assistance. This 34-page study, with charts and graphs,
provides excellent data, as well as a fine example of the value of such needs
assessments as planning documents and as an essential document in fund-raising
efforts for legal services for older persons. To access the full study, in pdf
format, click here.
The 6-page, 43-question, survey questionnaire which was used to conduct this
assessment is available in pdf format by clicking here. To access a
PowerPoint presentation by Jilenne Gunther titled Assessing the Legal Needs
of Seniors describing the study and
its findings, click here.
The National Survey of Legal Assistance for the
Elderly
The National Survey of Legal Assistance for the
Elderly was conducted to assess the impact of several changes and potential
changes in the delivery of legal assistance to low income older persons. The
survey report provides a basis for programmatic and policy analysis, and
decision making on the national, state, and local levels. The report can be
viewed or downloaded on-line.
The Center for Social Gerontology, Inc.
2307 Shelby Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Tel: (734) 665-1126 Fax: (734) 665-2071
Email: tcsg@tcsg.org
Web site updated daily.