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:
- November: “At the end of November, I have finished the book Persona anziana tra famiglia e società. Problematiche di diritto civile" . On the first pages of the volume there is a reference to the fact that it is a volume produced as part of the Age-it project and from a scientific point of view it represents the result of this first phase of my research. On 3 november i gave a lecture at the conference 'a gentle right for the elderly' held in Padua and organised by the University of Padua as part of thAge-it project”
- December: “The recently recruited research fellow has taken up their position on December 1st, 2023”
- January: Work on identifying potential indices within the Italian legal framework, capable of measuring the relationship between the condition, at a given historical moment, of a young person (e.g., 25 years old) and that of an elderly person (e.g., 65 years old). The objective was to assess the degree of intergenerational equity and measure the variation of that relationship over time from a legal perspective. Consequently, we have pinpointed specific areas within Private law that can be regarded as particularly relevant in this context. In relation to the sensitive areas, we have identified the following indices:
- age and access to certain services and benefits (e.g., digital medicine services and digital services in general);
- age and public access to care (e.g., by analysing LEAs);
- age and protection measures;
- age and cohort composition in research (e.g., analysis of the degree of representativeness of the elderly 'category' in scientific-pharmacological research).
- February: More work on identifying potential indices within the Italian legal framework, capable of measuring the relationship between the condition, at a given historical moment, of a young person (e.g., 25 years old) and that of an elderly person (e.g., 65 years old). The objective was to assess the degree of intergenerational equity and measure the variation of that relationship over time from a legal perspective. Consequently, we have pinpointed specific areas within Private law that can be regarded as particularly relevant in this context. In relation to the sensitive areas, we have identified the following indices:
- age and access to certain services and benefits (e.g., digital medicine services and digital services in general);
- age and public access to care (e.g., by analysing LEAs); iii. age and protection measures; iv. age and cohort composition in research (e.g., analysis of the degree of representativeness of the elderly 'category' in scientific-pharmacological research).
- March: A progressive review of the regulatory framework relevant to the AGE-IT project has been made, focusing on the imminent entry into force of the AI Act and the political agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on the European Health Data Space (EHDS). Also, an in-depth analysis is being conducted on the protection of personal data pertaining to the elderly and the reuse of health data for research purposes.O29
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