Legal aid/empowerment for the elderly is a solidarity project of five young lawyers working within the Aequator Institute, the Institute for Education and Legal Awareness. The European Solidarity Unit and MOVIT supported the project.
As part of our initial operation, we realised during the COVID-19 epidemic that the elderly are often the target of legal abuse. Of course, the reasons are different; sometimes, it is due to naivety or excessive trust. However, often the reason is that the elderly do not know their rights, and individuals take advantage of this.
The project aims to raise the legal awareness of the elderly, especially in terms of knowing the rights they most often exercise, as this is the first condition for their consideration. By exercising our rights, we are becoming more included and, above all, (actually) equal citizens. Namely, equality in law is not enough if legal justification is not implemented in practice. At the same time, we want to make the general public aware of the importance of access to legal aid and education for the elderly.
We bring the law closer to the elderly through conventional, interactive, innovative methods. In retirement homes, we give lectures on the most common legal problems of the elderly (consumer rights, social rights, personal bankruptcy, etc.) and also speak about topics that we often avoid due to fear or other irrational reasons (inheritance). After the lectures, we are available for individual legal aid and answer specific legal questions. At the same time, we wrote down typical legal problems in the form of a script. We made short presentation films with Klara Kastelec and Gojmir Lešnjak in the lead roles. In the project, the collection of legal topics has constantly been expanding. We have kept a record of them and finally prepared a collection of articles where helpful information is gathered in one place.
How to deal with a legal problem?
Understanding the legal problem
The most important thing is understanding the content of the legal letter or your legal problem. Of course, you can gather a lot of information yourself, e.g. by browsing the internet. However, if you do not understand what it is about, be sure to find someone who can explain the matter to you – your acquaintance who deals with legal issues daily or a lawyer.
Act quickly
Legal letters usually need to be responded to within a specified time frame. If you miss this deadline, it usually means that your reply to the letter will not be considered. It is therefore essential that you act quickly.
Act in a calm manner
Stay calm when there is a legal problem. Before you go to court, try to resolve the dispute amicably. This way, you can save plenty of time, money and energy. You can try to resolve the dispute through mediation. This is a process in which the parties try to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute with the help of a neutral third party.
Where can I get more information?
More information on individual areas of law is available in our Legal Handbook (in Slovenian). You can also get to know individual legal constructs by watching our videos. They are published on our YouTube channel (in Slovenian). We are always near and available at institut.aequator@gmail.com.
Gregor Oprčkal and Teja Pirnat (institut.aequator@gmail.com), The Aequator Institute
Author of the photo: Rok Ilovar
In the photo (from left to right): Gregor Oprčkal, Eva Ilovar, Jan Pirnat, Teja Pirnat, Mohor Fajdiga. Missing from the photo is team member Tadeja Urbas.
