Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Whitney Bouk and I am a first-year student at Florida State University majoring in Political Science from Gulf Breeze, Florida.

At the Claude Pepper Elder Law Clinic, I conduct research assessing the legal needs of the low-income elderly population in Florida, in order to ensure that resources across the state are allocated effectively to meet their needs.

I am additionally involved in FSU Honors, FSU Presidential Scholars, and Women in Business.

Evaluating the Legal Needs on Low-Income Elder Floridians

Abstract

Knowledge regarding which areas of elder law in Florida currently contain the greatest demand for resources, and whether or not resources provided by both public and private entities are being allocated efficiently to meet such demand, are outdated. A needs assessment will be conducted by Florida State University Claude Pepper Elder Law Clinic to determine the legal needs of low-income elders across Florida. This updated survey aims to expand previous studies to determine whether legal needs are inaccessible due to income or whether better organization and volunteer efforts can mitigate the legal issues which currently exist for elders. The research evaluates: what are the current predominant legal needs of the low-income elderly population in the state of Florida? The report will be based on survey data from Floridians across all counties. Distribution will be through the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the American Association of Retired Persons with questions focusing on what legal aid services were available, what legal issues the respondent may have had in the past three years, and any action taken to resolve the issue. Results will be summarized and distributed to legal services organizations across Florida, which work with elder services, and academic journals focused on elder justice. Preliminary results indicate a lack of knowledge of pro-bono services may be the primary reason respondents did not seek out legal service. If this remains true, we will be able to provide crucial data on how to most efficiently organize legal aid efforts.

Keywords: Survey Elder Law