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ninakohn.bsky.social
Professor @SyracuseU. Elder Law Scholar with Yale's @SolomonCtrYLS. I write about civil rights of older adults -- including in contexts of #LongTermCare, medical & financial #decisionmaking, #voting & #guardianship. Also: legal ethics & #highered.
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📚Just published! The new Elder Law Journal article from ‪@solomonctryls.bsky.social‬ Distinguished Scholar in Elder Law @ninakohn.bsky.social‬, Research Fellow Wendy Jiang, and others explores the limits of mandatory elder abuse reporting and proposes reforms. theelderlawjournal.com/wp-content/u...

Last year @solomonctryls.bsky.social convened a group of the nation's leading thinkers on #ElderAbuse. One result: this new article. It reveals how little reporting mandates do to help older adults & calls for evidence-based #law reform. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Happening now...

With so much in flux and so much on the line, this type of exchange is more important than ever. And a good reminder that while the road is bumpy, we are traveling it in good company. #ASLME #HLP2025

New book alert! Law & the 100-Year Life explores how our laws should adapt to unprecedented longevity. Happy to join a terrific group of authors under the leadership of editors Anne Alstott, @abbegluck.bsky.social & Eugene Rusyn. Bonus: the book is open access.

Professor @ninakohn.bsky.social Kohn Discusses Nursing Home Management Issues with the Denver Post #lawsky www.denverpost.com/2025/05/18/c...

Incredibly honored to be named a Distinguished Professor alongside two phenomenal colleagues. news.syr.edu/blog/2025/05...

This 👇

What is "trauma-informed healthcare planning" and how can the new Uniform Health Care Decisions Act support it? To honor National Healthcare Decisions Day, Deidre Lok and I sat down to discuss. Podcast 👇https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_aging/resources/podcast/ #hacp #elderlaw #elderabuse

Last week, a federal judge in Texas ruled to eliminate a minimum staffing standard for nursing homes. But, as @ninakohn.bsky.social of @syracuselaw.bsky.social writes, states have quite a bit of power to regulate the industry on their own. Read more here: petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/04/16/s...

Out today in Bill of Health! It's an open secret that U.S. nursing homes often aren't safe for >1 million people living in them. Yet a federal court just tossed a key protection for #NursingHome residents. I explain how states respond--using powers they already have. @petrieflomcenter.bsky.social

Congratulations to Kansas on adopting the Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, & Other Protective Arrangements Act! It will help reduce unnecessary & overbroad #guardianships. It's a huge win for older adults & people with #disabilities. As the Act's Reporter, I'm thrilled. #Disabilityrights

One joy of academic life is sharing your ideas with others. Grateful to @uarizonalaw.bsky.social faculty for inviting me to talk on my new article, and for their fabulously helpful critiques (shout out to @orentaoren.bsky.social and colleagues). Added bonus: a visit the Sororan Desert.

An important development from @justiceinaging.org: a new lawsuit brought on behalf of people with #disabilities that challenges unlawful cuts to Social Security services. justiceinaging.org/ssa-doge-law... #disabilityrights #elderlaw

Some good news! Utah just became the 2nd state to adopt the new Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act. It makes it easier for patients to ensure their wishes are understood and respected. As the Act's Reporter, I couldn't be prouder. www.uniformlaws.org/committees/c... #ACP #healthcare #elderlaw

Lawyers: Do your state and local bar associations stand with the ABA? If not, demand they step up. "If lawyers do not speak, who will speak for our judges? Who will protect our bedrock of justice? If we do not speak now, when will we speak? Now is the time..." #Lawsky #RuleofLaw

Excited to share my new article, Ageless Law, now forthcoming in N.C. Law Review. It asks: should law be age-blind? With states amending constitutions to protect against #age #discrimination & #SocialSecurity under attack, it's a question we can no longer ignore. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Excellent excellent excellent from Princeton president and constitutional/ political theorist Chris Eisgruber. There's been far too little of this kind of thing; here's hoping others follow his good example. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Glad that the Journal for Health Care Law & Policy with @umbaltimore.bsky.social is focusing its spring symposium on #disability and access to care. I'll be speaking on #SupportedDecisionMaking. Join us this Monday! Registration & details 👇 elm.umaryland.edu/announcement...

Medicaid cuts will leave millions of Americans without adequate insurance or any coverage at all. The ripple effects extend beyond personal health—reduced Medicaid funding could trigger job losses, hospital closures, and place significant strain on the economy.

Please share: The ABA Civil Rights & Social Justice Section is running a FREE “Civil Rights Boot Camp” for lawyers and law students. Learn practical, timely skills to advocate for justice, equality, and #RuleOfLaw. Register for virtual event: events.americanbar.org/event/11ba8f... #lawsky

Another casualty of stupidity: I was to give a free talk for state court leaders next week on fixing #guardianship systems to prevent abuse of people with #disabilities. It just got canceled. Why? Because the host has a federal grant & the Trump admin is requiring a shut-down of even basic training.

Felt great to see the new edition of #ElderLaw casebook out in "the wild" at #AALS2025.

Winter break: that special time of year when academics grade from beautiful locations.

@ninakohn.bsky.social David M. Levy L’48 Professor of Law, spoke with KVIA TV about a case in El Paso, TX where a non-profit organization petitioned to place an 87-year-old woman in a guardianship arrangement against the wishes of the woman’s family. #guardianship #LawSky vimeo.com/1040150269

I’m excited to be joining the author team of my favorite #torts casebook. Would love thoughts from #law professors and #lawyers: What do you think is most critical for modern law students to learn about tort law & practice? What issues don't get the attention they deserve? #Lawsky #Lawschool

This piece from @kff.org is a must-read now that we're talking about the costs of insurance denials. The takeaway: Current #HealthCare insurance systems work pretty well for healthy people. Not so much for those in poor health. www.kff.org/private-insu...

Professor @ninakohn.bsky.social on Syracuse’s Worst Nursing Home, Bishop Nursing and Rehabilitation Center: “In layman’s terms, it’s very, very bad,” #LawSky www.syracuse.com/health/2024/...

New book alert: Margaret Gullette’s compelling & darkly humorous American Eldercide challenges assumptions that older adults' #COVID19 deaths were inevitable. I'm flattered be cited for giving early warning of the deadly role #ageism would play. #booksky #aging press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

Looking for something *real* to talk about at your Thanksgiving dinner table? Maybe something less depressing than the news? How about #death, #dementia, and possibility of future #disability? Seriously, hear me out… 🧵 1/5 #Medsky #Lawsky #Aging #HAPC

Optimist: The cup is half full. Pessimist: The cup is half empty. Elder law attorney: Someday the cup may disappear. Let’s plan for that.

Perhaps lawyering would benefit from asking a similar question... Case in point: we often see #EstatePlanning attorneys advising interventions that are unlikely to accrue benefits for years. But have costs right away. #LawSky

Presenting on the Uniform Health Care Decisions Act today, I paused to acknowledge Diane's role and this huge loss. Little known fact: she took time in her final years to give feedback on the Act, helping to ensure it protects the right to self-determination for all people. #disabilityrights

Heading into 2025, there are four areas where older adults will need our collective advocacy - read more in our @justiceinaging.org piece: justiceinaging.org/four-areas-w...

Thanks for creating this resource @staceytovino.bsky.social. Looking forward to conversations in this new space.

Join us for a 🆓 webinar tomorrow on the Uniform Health Care Decisions Act (for which I served as Reporter). We'll outline how the Act improves the law governing #AdvanceDirectives-- and medical decision-making for people with #disability more broadly. Register ➡️tinyurl.com/2fuw3f7s #Medsky #HAPC

Law professor colleagues: I'm revising the teacher's manual for my #Elderlaw casebook. Would love thoughts about what you find most useful in a manual (in addition to answers)... - ideas for organizing class? - experiential exercises? - sample syllabi/exams? - editable slides? - other?

Most people don't have an advance directive. Those who do often have one that doesn't fully reflect their wishes & values. Adopting the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act could change that. Learn more at this free webinar Nov. 20th: tinyurl.com/2fuw3f7s #medsky #hapc #endoflife #elderlaw