Elder Rights in Bangladesh: Critical Reflections on the Elder Law, Policy and Programme

Today’s society tends to glorify youth whereas older persons are often associated with grumpiness or antagonism. But ageing is a fact of life; and demographically, a natural process that inevitably occurs in the human life cycle. But this global trend of demographic aging is laden with a panoply of emerging challenges that push the elder population vulnerable to exploitation, mistreatment, and right violations. Although the elderly in Bangladesh are valued as an asset, not as a burden on society, they are, in reality, less likely to form new friendship; rather, often labeled as ‘aged’ and ‘unproductive’ due to our social construction for age biases that also create dependency eventually.In effect, the elderly face many difficult challenges, i.e. discrimination, homelessness, poverty, discrimination, denial of basic human rights and social services, lack of adequate care and Medicare, or isolation. Besides, the elder’s rights have not yet received the adequate legal attention they deserve. Along with establishing the elderly’s particular vulnerability that requires preferential treatment under elder law, this paper hence attempts to look into the Bangladesh position in the elder law regime, and how the elderly rights are brought in governance and legal practice. After doing so, this paper also uses a searchlight on whether the legal protection mechanisms are adequate, and what measures are imperatives to address the dynamics of the elderly.

Title VI: Modernizing Allotments for Vulnerable Elder Rights Protection Activities and Other Programs

Of the many changes to the OAA, the Modernizing Allotments for Vulnerable Elder Rights Protection Activities and Other Programs section included notable changes. This bill specifies that Title VII programs will receive a 7% increase in 2020 and a 6% increase in the following four fiscal years. It extends the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act for an additional year. The reauthorization ensures that ombudsman representatives can be reimbursed for costs incurred through their services. The Act requires that the Government Accountability Office study federal programs for home modification assistance for older adults and individuals with disabilities. The Act directs the Administrator of the Administration for Community Living to continue the 2017 requirement of disseminating and soliciting feedback on the Principles for Person-directed Services and Supports during Serious Illness. This reauthorization updates home and community-based best practices; and elder justice activities, including community outreach and education to bolster community partnerships.

Time for Municipal Elder Rights Law: An Anglo-Canadian Perspective

RÉSUMÉEn cette ère de mondialisation et de privatisation, les gouvernements locaux et les municipalités cherchent à définir leur rôle et leur place dans la société. Dans une société vieillissante comme le Canada, faire valoir que les droits juridiques des aînés devraient faire partie du fondement juridique des obligations municipales n'est pas simple. Il est moins compliqué de soutenir que sans une machine centralisée efficace les problèmes sociaux et environnementaux demeureront insolubles ou non traités.Le présent article propose une idée différente de la place de l'administration municipale au Canada. L'article vise à présenter un argument original en politique juridique: il est temps que les communautés locales et les gouvernements locaux au Canada utilisent leur droits fondamentaux pour adopter des règlements locaux qui définissent et établissent les droits des citoyens âgés. L'oargument maintient que les municipalités locales détiennent le pouvoir légal et le potentiel social leur permettant d'oapporter une contribution importante à la promotion des droits des aînés dans la sphère politique, et que ce pouvoir a été jusqu'oà maintenant négligé.L'oarticle soutient l'oargument de trois façons: 1) une analyse empirique des règlements existants dans diverses municipalités du Canada; 2) une analyse socio-légale des avantages de la loi municipale comme outil de changement social; et 3) une analyse par cas d'oune récente réforme des lois municipales dans la province de la Colombie-Britannique.