European Courts and Old People

Graham Mulley is emeritus professor of elderly care, University of Leeds.

image Gwenaël Piaser

The current issue of Age and Ageing features an original paper on Older Europeans and the European Court of Justice by Israel Doron.  Why should busy geriatricians be interested in legal activities in Europe?

The short answer is that these courts have the potential for championing old people’s human and legal rights.  These courts often judge in favour of elders, yet the number of cases referred is small and is not increasing – despite the greater numbers of elderly citizens.