The Elder, Health and Disability Unit represents elders over the age of 60, people of all ages with disabilities and families to ensure that they have the income, health care and services that they need to live independently in the community. Our work promotes affordable housing for seniors, access to quality health care and income maximization. Our work and advocacy assists nursing home residents both with transitioning from skilled nursing facilities back into the community to live more independently with services. We empower people to make informed decisions about their lives and support people with disabilities in their fight for accessibility.
Our unit includes sub-units for access to health care, Social Security, children’s rights, Medicare, and elder law.
Direct Services
Our major priorities include:
Preservation of Housing for Elders by defending against evictions from public and subsidized housing, since it is housing of last resort. Loss of this housing almost always means homelessness, and physical and emotional decline for the elder.
Economic security for families, adults, and elders through the provisions of Social Security/SSI benefits, which can help lift elders, adults and children out of poverty. We work to ensure that these clients are provided with the fundamentals of due process, including adequate notices, fair hearings, and timely receipt of benefits.
Strengthening access to health care for families, adults, and elders so their right to quality and affordable health care becomes a reality. We work to ensure that people with disabilities, children and elders have access to the health care coverage and services they need.
Advancing the rights of people with disabilities by representation of children with psychiatric disabilities on issues related to their rights under Rosie D. and representation of youth and adults who need services from state agencies for their mental health needs.
Defending the rights of immigrants who often do not understand what programs they may be eligible for, or who have been incorrectly denied public assistance leading to isolation due to language barriers and lack of access to information and assistance.
Protecting the rights of the most vulnerable elders including those in skilled nursing facilities who are facing involuntary discharge from the facility or who are seeking to voluntarily discharge to return to the community with services.
Elder, Health & Disability Community Partnerships
Community partnerships are a mainstay of our elder, health and disability work. They enable us to expand our advocacy efforts. Our current collaborative initiatives include ensuring access to health care, providing economic security and preserving housing for elders.
Elder, Health & Disability Impact Advocacy
The current priorities for our impact advocacy are home and community based services reform, ensuring the rights of nursing facility residents to return to the community to live independently with services, improving access transportation services for people with disabilities and ensuring access to health care services.
Read more about the Elder, Health and Disability Unit's impact advocacy.
The rights of elders, preserving access to health care and disability benefits
Greater Boston Legal Services assisted “Pauline”, a 77-year-old elder living in Chelsea, who fought to stay in her own home despite family struggles and serious health problems. Pauline faced tragedy when she lost her daughter who had been her primary caretaker.