2025/10/24 by Yaira Obstbaum, Lotta Hautamäki, Kaijus Ervasti +5 · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Health Professions · #Elder Abuse and Neglect #Healthcare innovation and challenges #Medical Malpractice and Liability Issues
paper · doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2025.101377
openalex created_date 2025/10/24 · openalex publication_date 2025/10/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
In the last two decades, the question of older people's legal rights and their access to justice have attracted increasing research attention. However, there is little comprehensive, current research on what older people themselves consider important for accessing justice in the many everyday situations that have legal dimensions. This article presents a thematic analysis of elicited narrative data consisting of 324 stories about legal problems experienced by older adults, written by the older adults themselves (78 %), and their loved ones (22 %). The collected stories describe a wide range of problems, particularly regarding social care and healthcare, respect for older adults' self-determination, economic difficulties, family conflicts, and sometimes abusive situations. Frequently mentioned barriers to resolving these problems included difficulties navigating the bureaucratic “systems” of authorities and service providers, digital challenges, financial issues, the impact of physical or cognitive constraints, and, ageist attitudes. We argue that these barriers to justice, often considered in the context of problem-solving, are also connected to how the problems arise in the first place. Everyday events, such as trying to access healthcare or manage financial matters, can turn into legal problems when faced with such barriers. We conclude that older people's access to justice may be limited by ageist attitudes and societal failures to accommodate their needs. Studies that listen to older individuals are essential for an in-depth understanding of the factors that influence their access to justice. • This article analyses freely written stories, about older people's legal problems. • A multitude of problems were described from health care needs to neighbor problems. • Complicated “systems” of experts and bureaucracy are a central barrier to justice. • Barriers can also be the reason for everyday issues turning into problems. • Experiences of ageism were common in many types of legal problems.