The Wills of Older People: Risk Factors for Undue In?uence

• Author: C. Peisah, S. Finkel, K. Shulman, P. Melding, J. Luxenberg, J. Heinik, R. Jacoby, B. Reisberg, G. Stoppe, A. Barker, H. Firmino and H. Bennett
• Pages: 211-229



REVIEW

TheWillsofOlderPeople

RISKFACTORSFORUNDUEINFLUENCE*

CPeisahSFinkelKShulmanPMelding

JLuxenbergJHeinikRJacobyBReisberg

GStoppeABarkerHFirminoandHBenne

FORTHEINTERNATIONALPSYCHOGERIATRICASSOCIATION

TASKFORCEONWILLSANDUNDUEINFLUENCE



 

Aspeoplelivelongerthereis increasingpotentialformental disorders

tointerferewithtestamentarydistributionandrenderolderpeoplemore

vulnerabletounduei nuencewhenthey aremak ingaw illAccord-

inglyclinicians dealing withthe mentald isordersofolderp eoplewill

becalleduponincreasinglytoadvisethecourtsaboutapersonsvulner-

abilitytoundueinuence

 

ASubcomm ieeof the IPATaskForce on TestamentaryCapacity and

UndueInuenceu ndertooktoestablishconse nsuson the denitionof

undueinuenceandtheprovisionofguidelinesforexpertassessmentof

riskfactorsforundueinuence

  

Internationaljurisdictionsdierintheirapproachtothenotionofundue

inuenceDespitedi erencesin legalsystems froma clinical perspec-

 Reproducedwithperm ission

CP

tivethesubcommieeidentiedsomecommonredagswhichmight

alert the expert to risk of unduein uenceThese includeisoc ial or

environmentalriskfactorssuchasdependencyisolationfamilyconict

andrecentbereavementiipsychologicalandphysicalriskfactorssuch

as physical disability deathbed wills sexual bargain ing personality

disorders substance abuse and mental disorders including dementia

deliriummooda ndparanoiddisordersand iiilegalriskfactors such

asunnaturalprovisionsinawillorprovisionsnotinkeepingwithpre-

viouswishesof thepersonma kingthe willand theinstigation orpro-

curementofawillbyabeneciary

 

Thisreviewprovidessome guidancefor experts whoarerequestedby

thecourts toprovideanopin ionontheriskofunduein uenceWhilst

international jurisd ictions require dierent thresholds of proof for a

ndingofundueinuencethereisgoodinternationalconsensusonthe

clinical indicators for the concept.

 

willtestamentar yundueinuencecapacityolderpeople

  

Withaging societies and the increased wealthof elderlypeople in de-

velopedsocietiesthe posthumousdist ributionofwealthw illbeof un-

paralleled magnitude The twentieth cent ury not only brought about

unprecedented aging worldwidebut its political ideology also redis-

tributedconsiderablewealthAsaresultinmanysocietiestodaysolder

peoplehavemoreassetsa ndpersonalwealth thaneverbeforeNatural

frugalityandnotionsofsavingforretirementandleavingsomething

behindto beremembered byhaveaddedtot hisbount yAspeoplein

allcou ntriesl ivelongerthere is increasing potential formental disor-

derstointerferewiththe testamentarydist ributionofthisbou ntyorto

rendertheolderpersonmorevulnerabletoundueinuence

ThemoderndayCommonLawapproachtoundueinuenceeman-

atesfromnineteenthcenturyEnglandwhensocialinuenceswerevery

dierentfromthoseofthetwentyrstcenturywithmostofthenations

wealthinthehandsofafewpeopleintheuppertiersofsocietyWhilethe

traditionalthinki nghasstoodthetestoftimeitsapplicabilitytomodern