Uvod: Živimo v družbi, v kateri se število starejšega prebivalstva povečuje, povečuje pa se tudi število obolelih za kroničnimi nenalezljivimi boleznimi. Življenjska doba ljudi se daljša in z naraščanjem deleža starejšega prebivalstva se povečujejo potrebe po sistemu dolgotrajne oskrbe, ki mora biti učinkovit in finančno vzdržen. Namen: Namen magistrskega dela je ugotoviti stanje na področju zakonske ureditve varstva starejših oseb v Republiki Sloveniji, sekundarni namen raziskave je pridobljene rezultate za Slovenijo primerjati z ugotovitvami mednarodne raziskave in jih tako postaviti v primerjalno sobesedilo. Problemsko polje raziskave obsega razčlenitev in primerjavo zakonske ureditve pravic starejših oseb, hkrati je tudi del širše mednarodne raziskave, ki jo vodi profesor Israel Doron. Metode: V magistrskem delu smo uporabili deskriptivno metodo dela s pregledom literature. Primarno smo pregledali predpise iz baze pravnih predpisov Pravno–informacijskega sistema Republike Slovenije, ki obsegajo področja zdravstvenega in socialnega varstva ter se nanašajo na pravice starejših oseb. Literatura je bila iskana po ključnih besedah starostnik, elderly, medicinska sestra, nurse, pravice starejših, rights of the elderly, zakonodaja, legislation, diskriminacija starejših, elderly discrimination, skrb za starejše osebe, elderly care, pokojnina, pension v podatkovnih bazah CINAHL, MEDLINE, COBISS, Pub Med, EBSCO, Springerlink, Digitalna knjižnica Univerze v Ljubljani, spletne strani SAGE Publications ter Obzornika zdravstvene nege. Rezultati: Rezultati raziskave kažejo, da je dejansko stanje na področju zakonske ureditve področja starejših oseb kompleksno in da sama zakonska ureditev še ne daje vpogleda v to, kako je za to starostno skupino prebivalstva dejansko poskrbljeno. Slovenija po mednarodnem indeksu IOPHRI dosega 20 točk, kar jo uvršča v zgornjo tretjino držav z najboljšim varstvom starejših oseb. Razprava in zaključek: Demografsko staranje populacije je v večini razvitih držav sveta mnogo hitrejše, kot je bilo v preteklosti, kar je posledica podaljševanja pričakovane življenjske dobe in zmanjševanja stopnje rodnosti. Kljub razvitosti in ekonomski stabilnosti držav je kakovost življenja starejših oseb slabša od pričakovane. Introduction: We live in a society where the number of elderly is rising, together with the rising numbers of people with chronic non-contagious diseases. The life expectancy of people is prolonged and by increased numbers of older people the needs for efficient and economically stabile long-term care are becoming more and more important. Purpose: The purpose of the master thesis is to analyze the situation in the area of formal legislation of care for the elderly in Slovenia, whilst the secondary purpose is to compare the results of Slovenia with the results of an international research and by doing so, to set the comparative text. The problem area of the research encompasses the analysis and comparation of formal legislation for older people and is also a part of a wider international research, led by professor Israel Doron. Methods: In the master thesis a descriptive method with a literature review was used. Primarily, the basis of legislation that covers the area of healtcare, social welfare and the rights of older people, in the Legal Information System of the Republic of Slovenia was analysed. The literaturewas searched by using key words, namely elderly, nurse, rights of the elderly, legialsation, elderly discrimination, elderly care and pension in databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, COBISS, Pub Med, EBSCO, Springerlink, the Digital Library of the University of Ljubljana, SAGER Publications webpage and Slovenian Nursing review. Results: The results of the research show that the actual situation in the area of elderly legislation is complex and that the legislation itself does not provide the insight into actual care for older people. Slovenia classifies in the top three thirds of countries with the best care for older people by reaching 20 points in the international index IOPHRI. Discussion and conclusion: The demografical ageing of population rises much quicker and more rapidly than in the past in most of the developed countries due to the prolonged life expectancy and decreased fertility. Despite development and economical stability of countries the quality of life of older people is worse than expected.