Justice Connect, Seniors Law Service

Justice Connect’s Seniors Law program provides legal services to older people experiencing or at risk of abuse through several health justice partnerships it has established in Victoria and NSW. A Health Justice Partnership (HJP) is where a lawyer is embedded in a healthcare setting to reach out to people who may need legal help and not know it.

In Victoria, we partner with cohealth, a community health centre in Melbourne’s north-west, and with St Vincent’s Hospital in Fitzroy.

In NSW, we partner with St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney (incorporating St Joseph’s Hospital, a sub-acute hospital in Sydney’s west and St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst), and Uniting War Memorial Hospital in Waverley.

Many people view legal problems as life problems. They may not be able to afford a lawyer, or they may not know they need a lawyer in the first place. Instead, they’re more likely to talk to someone they trust, like their doctor, nurse, or physiotherapist.

By training healthcare professionals to identify potential legal risks or issues, we can empower them to refer clients to free legal help. Getting the right legal help at the right time has positive benefits for the entire community, as well as great health and wellbeing outcomes for our clients.

Justice Connect’s Seniors Law legal services are only available to patients of our health partners. Other people with a legal issue associated with elder abuse may be able to get pro bono help through Justice Connect by making a short application on our website: justiceconnect.org.au