ABSTRACT
Old age is often perceived as a time of vulnerability. This chapter seeks to draw attention to the (often neglected) positive aspects of vulnerability and the possibilities and implications for the law relating to older adults of treating that condition as vital to flourishing. It highlights how oppressive practices relating to older adults are linked to the disavowal of vulnerability as a purely negative condition and the pursuit of invulnerability as the ideal. The chapter discusses how vulnerability can be conceptualised in a more positive manner. It outlines an expanded account of vulnerability as openness, affectability, and changeability. The chapter also discusses the manner in which vulnerability – understood as openness – can be a source of connection, strength, and personal development in old age. It considers the implications of the expanded account of vulnerability for the law relating to older adults.
