International Law and Policy of Human Welfare

Although the legal problems of the elderly are as old as humankind, they have taken on current prominence for another reason: lifespan has increased markedly in recent years. Persons who would, given their age, have been the elders of the past & would have been expected to be focused on their imminent death are now, as a group, robust & well. They have better survived the ravages of time than have the plans fashioned when life expectancy was much lower. Questions concerning social status, expectations of living standards, general assistance & medical care all have become far more important & considerably more difficult. As life has become longer, & death more controllable, the issue of a person's right to choose death over diminished quality of life has also become far more complicated. This interesting book provides the reader with a selection of perspectives from scholars in different parts of the world on various branches of 'elderlaw'. Questions of social obligations to elders & elders'rights & duties are addressed as they arise in the United States, Japan, Greece, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Canada, & England. The compilation does not attempt to map out the field nor to make country-by-country comparisons of the issues discussed. Rather, it shows some commonality of concerns & in the identification of problems & proposals for their solution.Morris, G. L. is the author of 'International Law and Policy of Human Welfare' with ISBN 9789028608085 and ISBN 9028608087.