Leader: Claudia Irti (UNIVE); Other collaborator(s): UNIBO
One of the primary goals of a society careful to the issues of ageing is the protection of the right to self-determination of the elderly with respect to the choices which concern both existential and economic aspects of their lives. This goal is difficult to achieve, especially for the non-self-sufficient elderly, in particular if they are affected by a progressive, total or partial, loss of cognitive abilities. The research aims to explore "assisted decision-making processes" and to maximize the participation of the elderly people in the decisions that affect them, by limiting as much as possible the risk of abuse by those (possibly even family members) appointed to support and assist elderly people.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results:
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications:
Coming soon
- Further work has been done on reviewing the regulatory framework relevant to the AGE-IT project.
Specifically, the first and second drafts of the General-Purpose AI Code of Practice have been analyzed with reference to systemic risks of societal harm for vulnerable people (January 2025).
Moreover, the Guidelines on Prohibited Artificial Intelligence Practices issued by the European Commission have been studied, with a specific focus on paragraph 3, which is dedicated to Article 5(1)(a) and (b) of the AI Act – harmful manipulation, deception, and exploitation (February 2025).
- Attendance at the conference "Ageism and Access to Healthcare – Meeting within the PRIN 2022 Project 'Demographic and Legal Changes: Towards an Elder Law'", held at the Università degli Studi di Padova on January 29, 2025.
Coming soon
STATUS -31/12/2025
Claudia Irti
1) Prepared and delivered a speech titled “Le persone anziane come soggetti deboli” (“Older Persons as Vulnerable Subjects”) at the round table held in memory of Dianora Poletti, “I soggetti deboli” (“Vulnerable Subjects”), University of Pisa, Pisa, 12 May 2025.
2) Prepared and delivered a speech titled “La libertà di autodeterminarsi del beneficiario di ADS, tra forma e sostanza” (“The Freedom of Self-Determination of the Beneficiary of a Support Administrator (ADS), Between Form and Substance”) at the conference “Il diritto vivente tra legge e giurisprudenza” (“Living Law Between Legislation and Case Law”), University of Pavia, Pavia, 9 May 2025.
1. Organised the Ca’ Foscari Summer School in Law, Policies of Vulnerability: Law and Institutions Tested by Transitions, June–July 2025.
2. Conducted analysis on legal instruments for the protection of vulnerable persons as a member of the Study Commission for “Il riordino e la semplificazione degli istituti dell'interdizione, dell'inabilitazione, dell’amministrazione di sostegno e dei relativi procedimenti, negli ambiti definiti dalla Convenzione ONU sui diritti delle persone con disabilità e nel rispetto di principi e criteri direttivi” (“The reorganisation and simplification of the institutions of legal incapacity, partial incapacity, supported decision-making, and related procedures, within the framework defined by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and in compliance with guiding principles and criteria”), appointed by the National Authority for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (since January 2025).
Organisation of and participation as moderator in the conference “Vulnerabilità digitale. Un percorso intergenerazionale tra i diritti della persona e le relazioni d mercato” (“Digital Vulnerability: An Intergenerational Path between Personal Rights and Market Relations”), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Venice, 18 September 2025.
1. Prepared and delivered a speech entitled “Care Work in Italy: Family Caregivers for Vulnerable Older People in a Private Law Perspective,” delivered at the conference “Silver Society, Law, and Rights: Between Work and Care,” at Bocconi University, Milan, October 9, 2025.
2. Prepared and delivered (together with Francesca Rotolo) a speech entitled “Care work for Vulnerable Elderly People in Comparative Prospective: The Role of the Family Caregiver in Italy, France and Spain,” delivered at the 2nd General Meeting of the Age-IT Project, Naples, October 29–31, 2025.
1. Prepared and delivered a speech entitled “La ‘datificazione’ dell’invecchiamento: potenzialità e rischi (The ‘Datafication’ of Aging: Potentialities and Risks)”, delivered at Healthy Ageing Week 2025, Roadmap to Active Aging: Better Health for All, organized by the Ferrero Foundation at the Foundation’s headquarters in Alba (Cuneo), November 11, 2025.
2. Prepared and delivered a speech entitled “The Role of Family Caregivers in the Recent Regulatory Framework on the Assistance of Frail Elderly People,” delivered at the “International Workshop for the Dissemination of the Results of the Age-IT Research Project: Cultural and Political Dimensions of Aging,” at the University of Bari, Bari, November 20–21, 2025.
Participation as moderator at the annual Sisdic Veneto conference “Strumenti di protezione delle persone adulte in condizioni di vulnerabilità (Protection Tools for Vulnerable Adults)” at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Venice, December 19, 2025.
Francesca Rotolo
1. Research Period at the CREATe Centre, University of Glasgow: Conducted research on access to knowledge through intellectual property law mechanisms under the guidance of Prof. Erickson, at CREATe Centre, a research hub specializing in Innovation Law, Digital Technologies & Humanism, and Access to Knowledge.
2. CREATe Centre 2025 Spring School: Attended the Spring School program; 3. Seminar Delivery: Delivered a seminar to research fellows at the CREATe Centre on access to knowledge through intellectual property law mechanisms.
1. Conference Presentation: Prepared and delivered a speech at the 2025 ATRIP Annual Conference on the theme “Exploring the Interface Between Intellectual Property and Justice: Theory and Practice in a Dynamic Reality” (June 24, 2025), presenting a paper titled “Intellectual Property Law and Distributive Justice.”.
2. Research on Caregivers: Conducted a study on the private law aspects relevant to the role of the informal caregiver as responsible for the care of vulnerable elderly individuals, with particular focus on cases requiring long-term care.
Continued research on the private law aspects of informal caregivers caring for vulnerable elderly persons, focusing on long-term care needs;
Drafted a paper based on the research results, titled “Vulnerability in the Age of the ‘Silent Revolution’: Informal Caregivers of Vulnerable Adults in a Comparative Law Perspective.”
1. Prepared and delivered a speech titled “Care Work in France and Spain: Family Caregivers for Vulnerable Older People in a Comparative Law Perspective”, at the conference “Silver Society, Law, and Rights: Between Work and Care” at Bocconi University, Milan, October 9, 2025;
2. Prepared and delivered (together with Claudia Irti) a speech titled “Care Work for Vulnerable Elderly People in a Comparative Perspective: The Role of the Family Caregiver in Italy, France, and Spain”, at the 2nd General Meeting of the Age-IT Project, Naples, October 29–31, 2025.
1. Continued writing activities based on the research results, aimed at finalizing and publishing the paper titled “Vulnerability in the Age of the ‘Silent Revolution’: Informal Caregivers of Vulnerable Adults in a Comparative Law Perspective”;
2. Drafted a policy brief on the main legal issues in our ageing society, titled “Policy Reflections on Caregivers in an Ageing Society.
Main output of the research
Policy brief on main legal issues in our ageing society, titled “Policy Reflections on Caregivers in an Ageing Society”.