It Takes a Village: Using Seniors to Help Divorcing Families

Abstract

The wisdom of an underappreciated elderly population can offer invaluable assistance to underserved pro-se litigants facing family conflict. This Article will uncover the confluent needs of the family court system and the growing elderly population in the United States. Section II of this Article will explain the struggles of the family court system, outline the historic role of the elderly in addressing family conflict, propose the creation of an Elder Volunteer Corps to address these communal needs, and discuss the benefits of creating such a corps. Section III will suggest logistical approaches to forming an Elder Volunteer Corps, focusing on how such a corps can address the needs of forgotten populations, including the pro-se litigant community and the growing Senior Citizen population. Section IV will conclude that the inclusion of the elderly as a volunteer corps could revolutionize American culture, teaching a society that typically “discards” the elderly to value their expertise, defer to them as wise elders, and use their assistance. The impact of such an Elder Volunteer Corps on American society has clear immediate benefits on a local level, and could “update” American culture in a way that would help the United States relate to the rest of the global community.

Keywords: Elder; Law; Mediation; Family Law; Elderly; Boomers; Baby Boomers; Elder Volunteer; Elder Law