According to the U.S. Administration on Aging, by the year 2020 there will be more people over age 65 than under age 15. The Government Law Center's Aging Law & Policy Program helps governments prepare for this significant shift in demographics, and helps to serve the unique needs of an aging population.

The program offers the following services:

• Research on critical issues facing the elderly
• Legal education and training for older individuals, their families and their caregivers. Training includes, but is not limited to: Senior Citizens' Law Day, a community event that offers 40 seminars in one day; and Workshops on topics such as "kinship care" or Grandparents as Caregivers, health care decision making, power of attorney and guardianship.
• Conferences and other forums designed to help policymakers and local governments plan for the aging of "baby boomers."

Staying Informed
The Edgar and Margaret Sandman Fellowship provides students with the opportunity for extensive study of aging law and policy. One or two Albany Law School students devote a full year to studying a specific area of aging law and policy, resulting in a significant invitational roundtable and a report outlining their findings. Such efforts have helped the GLC maintain close communication with aging law and policy experts and the public at large.

The Government Law Center hosts a wide variety of conferences dedicated to such topics as: financial well-being for the elderly; employee benefits and pension protection; kinship care; guardianship; access to affordable prescription drugs; aging in place; and housing alternatives for adults with disabilities. Other initiatives have focused on grandparents' visitation rights and divorce proceedings in long-term marriages.

Success Story

• Kinship Care