Professor Israel Doron on UN Rights for Elders & Israel’s Long-Term Care System

Professor Israel (Issi) Doron, a lawyer and gerontology scholar from the University of Haifa and visiting professor at UMass Boston, describes how an AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly internship in the early 1990s led him into elder law, followed by a PhD in Toronto on elder guardianship and international work promoting a UN human rights convention for older persons. He explains that older persons lack a dedicated UN convention, notes gaps such as limited recognition of age discrimination and ageism, and recounts recent progress from the Open-Ended Working Group to the Human Rights Council’s active drafting process, which he attended in Geneva. Doron compares Israel and the US: Israel has universal healthcare and a social-insurance community long-term care benefit (about 20+ weekly in-home hours for most), relies on family care plus paid workers (including migrants), and uses needs-based institutional coverage with filial responsibility; Israel also has widespread private long-term care insurance. He highlights Israel’s younger median age due to high fertility but high life expectancy and strong family support, says Arab Palestinians receive the same entitlements, and recommends universal healthcare for US policy and proactive legal/financial planning for families.   Topics 00:00 Meet Professor Doron 01:41 From Human Rights to Elder Law 03:33 Why a UN Convention Matters 06:18 Will It Affect the US 08:54 How Elder Care Works in Israel 14:52 Who Provides Home Care 19:11 When Care Needs Increase 25:13 Demographics and Family Support 28:32 Arab Israelis and Elder Care 30:57 Advice for Policymakers and Families 35:06 Closing Thanks