A new book on European Elder Law: "Ageing, Ageism, and the Law"

Until not many years ago, the field of law and aging was relatively neglected within European jurisprudence. 

This has changed dramatically in recent years.

However, much was left to be studied, at least in the field of ageism and European law.

A new and recent book in the field, edited by Prof. Israel Issi Doron, and Nena Georgantzi, presents a collection of articles in the field. The book was published by EE - Edward Elgar.

Here is a synopsis of the book:

Europe is ageing. However, in many European countries, and in almost all fields of life, older persons experience discrimination, social exclusion, and negative stereotypes that portray them as different or a burden to society. This pivotal book is the first of its kind, providing a rich and diverse analysis of the inter-relationships between ageing, ageism and law within Europe.

Throughout the book – which builds on a European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST) action – leading scholars offer theoretical and empirical analysis in order to discern the role European law plays in perpetuating and combating ageism. Including specific examples of how stereotypes and prejudices influence and shape the European legal system, the book contributes to the broader current global social movement towards advancing a new international human rights convention for older persons.

Timely and engaging, this book will appeal to students and scholars of law, sociology, public policy and a wide range of related fields including gerontology, human rights, and health studies. Practitioners, policy-makers, civil society organizations and senior citizens activists will also benefit from the insights into the socio-legal aspects of social policies and human rights of older persons.

https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/ageing-ageism-and-the-law

Should we legally regulate older physicians?

Around the world, countries are abolishing mandatory retirement laws. And rightfully so: mandating persons to stop working only because of their chronological age - regardless of their personal wishes or their individual abilities - is wrong.
On the other hand, some new challenges develop as an outcome of these legal changes. One of these challenges regards the aging of the medical profession. In specific, the medical profession in many countries has experienced a reality of the aging of its working force. For example, in the US, since 1975, the number of practicing physicians older than 65 years has increased by more than 374%. Taking into account the normal - and non ageist fact - that there is some statistical correlation between older age and some decline in cognitive and physical abilities - may raise the question how and to what extent should there be any way to address the risk of physician who may lose their professional abilities in older age without falling into negative stereotypes and ageism.
A recent article in JAMA Surgery, by Dellinger, Pellegrini, & Gallagher (2017) discuss this issue and provide some proposals to solutions.
See link to the full article below:
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/2644000