Municipal Elder Law: A Minnesota Perspective

Abstract

The field of elder law has developed dramatically over the past several decades and is primarily regarded as a creature of state and federal law. This area of law will be of paramount importance in the coming years as the elderly population continues to increase dramatically. Indeed, nearly every community in the United States will undoubtedly be impacted in some way by the influx of older residents. Notably, however, the effect of an aging society will impact each local community differently. For these reasons, Professors Kimberly Dayton and Israel (Issi) Doron sought to examine the role that municipal elder law has and could play in local government. In exploring this unique avenue for the advancement of elder rights, the authors conducted a study on municipal elder law in Minnesota communities to determine the extent to which local governments have attempted to embrace the field of elder law.

Keywords: municipal elder law, elder law, rights of older persons

JEL Classification: J14, K10, K39