According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, persons 65 and older represented more than 13 percent of the U.S. population in 2012.
With a large and ever-growing population of older Americans, The University of Toledo is taking steps to ensure these individuals are taken care of. The UT Legal Specialties Program has teamed up with the UT Center for Successful Aging to offer an online graduate certificate in elder law.
The UT Elder Law Program consists of five classes, all offered in summer and fall semesters. These classes are Legal Issues for the Elderly, Elder Health Law and Ethical Issues, Guided Study in Elder Law Issues, Health and Aging, and Issues in Contemporary Gerontological Practice.
“They learn a lot about the legal side — the rights and responsibilities of elderly people,” said Michael Spiros, UT associate professor of legal specialties. “They also look directly at health care.”
The classes cover topics such as wills, estate administration, guardianships, Medicare, Medicaid, late-in-life marriages, disabilities, Social Security and more. Each of the classes is offered online as a distance-learning course that can be accessed any time in any location.
To participate in the program, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0. Students currently enrolled in a graduate program at UT also can take these classes, even if they do not wish to receive their certificate.
“We’ve attracted people who have just gotten their bachelor’s degree in the last year or two, some law students, lawyers, professors and middle-aged people with elderly parents,” Spiros said. “There are people who are interested in the program from a personal point of view and/or a professional point of view.”
For more information or to apply, visit utole.do/elderlaw. Applications are due by Monday, May 12.
