Elder Abuse Prevention Group Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

An eastern Pennsylvania organization, The Schuylkill Elder Abuse Prevention Alliance, is celebrating 10 years working to help protect the rights of seniors in their area.  To mark the occasion, a monument has been erected outside the county's human services building.  The ceremony to unveil the monument features the current Secretary for the State Department of Aging, Brian Duke.  The organization has a board of 30 members, which includes professionals from the areas of law, banking, nursing home employment, and the clergy.  The main goals of their organization are public education and raising awareness about elder abuse. To learn more about this organization and their tenth anniversary celebration, please click here. 

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Pennsylvania also has an Elder Abuse Task Force, which holds the mission to examine allegations of individuals who cheat, deceive, and/or abuse older Pennsylvanians.  To report a potential case of elder abuse, please call their reporting hotline at (866) 623-2137.

Scranton-Area Woman Abuses Elderly Mother, Who Has Alzheimer's Disease

Often, this blog talks about the prevalence of elder abuse in Pennsylvania.  These discussions are often general, but occasionally a specific incident is highlighted and reported.  Once such report has recently come out in the Scranton area.  According to local news source WTRF.com, a 56-year-old woman from northeast Pennsylvania was charged with elder abuse of her 96-year-old mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.  Reports highlight instances of beating, threatening, swearing, and hair pulling on the part of the daughter.  The abuse was initially brought to the attention of the authorities by a Chicago-area man who had found a live webcam feed of the family's living room.  To read more of the original story, please click here.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Pennsylvania also has an Elder Abuse Task Force, which holds the mission to examine allegations of individuals who cheat, deceive, and/or abuse older Pennsylvanians.  To report a potential case of elder abuse, please call their reporting hotline at (866) 623-2137.

Elder Abuse Education Close to Altoona

Many Pennsylvanians are working together to educate the community on the frequency and types of elder abuse that many aging citizens face in our state.  Last month, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging set up a community seminar to address some of these issues in Johnstown.  Over 400 people registered for the event, making it one of the largest elder abuse seminars that state officials have seen to date.  Other similar seminars are held frequently around the state.  For more information and to read the 
originals news source from the Tribune-Democrat, please click here. 

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Pennsylvania also has an Elder Abuse Task Force, which holds the mission to examine allegations of individuals who cheat, deceive, and/or abuse older Pennsylvanians.  To report a potential case of elder abuse, please call their reporting hotline at (866) 623-2137.

Pennsylvania's Elder Abuse Task Force

Did you know that Pennsylvania has its own Elder Abuse Task Force? Created in 2006, this state-wide initiative examines allegations of people  who cheat, deceive or abuse older Pennsylvanians.  The force is make up of a diverse group of participants, including prosecutors and support staff. As part of their duties, the force also has a public education component.  PA also has an elder abuse hotline, which can be reached by calling the number (866) 623-2137. According to an article by StateCollege.com, "The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has the third highest percentage of elderly residents in the United States with nearly 2 million residents over the age of 65. In addition, the fastest growing segment of Pennsylvania's population is those who are 85 years of age or older.".  To read more from the original article, please click here. 

Pennsylvania also has a state-wide Elder Law Task Force that examines Pennsylvania's issues with guardianship, abuse/neglect, and access to justice for the state's elderly population. This special task force is chaired by Justice Debra Todd.  The main aims of the task force include suggesting amendments for court rules, as well as recommendations for education and best practices involving the care of senior citizens. The task force has been given one year to complete its work.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

CARIE Works For The Rights Of The Elderly

Interested in advocating for the rights of the elderly?  Are you or an elderly loved one currently undergoing some type of neglect or physical, financial, emotional, or sexual abuse? You might want to consider visiting the following website for valuable resources on educating and protecting yourself from elder abuse.  The Center For Advocacy Of The Rights And Interests Of The Elderly, known as CARIE, has set up a detailed resource page for education on many forms of elder abuse.  Please visit their website here for more valuable information. 

Pennsylvania has also stepped up to protect its state's aging population.  The state has set up a statewide elder abuse hotline, which can be accessed by calling this number: 1-800-490-8505.  The hotline is open 24 hours a day and can be used a tipline to report activity related to abuse, neglect, exploitation, identity theft, or abandonment of an elderly PA resident.  Pennsylvania also has local Area Agencies on Aging that can assist in these situations. 

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Western PA Elderly Resources Website

            As stated in earlier blog posts, Pennsylvania has a significant amount of legal claims related to elder abuse and neglect. This primarily a result of our state’s large aging population, which has one of the highest percentages of senior citizens in the country.  Allegheny County's Department of Human Services has acknowledged this phenomenon and created a resource page to for seniors address some of these issues.  This page can be accessed by clicking this link, which takes you to a variety of resources for seniors including nursing home alternatives, mental health resources, and caregiver support.  It may be worthwhile to take a few minutes to browse this page and educate yourself on the options available to you and your aging loved ones in Western Pennsylvania.   

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer who takes nursing home abuse and neglect cases in the western and central Pennsylvania areas.  He takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties, and his practice is based in Altoona, PA.  For more information on his firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.

To access Pennsylvania’s resource page for elder abuse, please click this link. 

Elder Justice Event in Johnstown

Today, there is an elder justice event taking place in Johnstown, PA.  This event will host speakers from state and local justice agencies and is sponsored by the Cambria County Elder Abuse Task Force. For more information, please visit the Tribune-Democrat's article, located here.

Instances of elder abuse are not uncommon in Pennsylvania, which has a large aging population.  The term "elder abuse" can be used for seniors who have suffered physical, financial, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect.  According to state data, the three most common types of abuse experienced by older Pennsylvanians are self neglect, caregiver neglect, and financial abuse.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer who takes nursing home abuse and neglect cases in the western and central Pennsylvania areas.  He takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties, and his practice is based in Altoona, PA.  For more information on his firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.

To access Pennsylvania’s resource page for elder abuse, please click this link.

More Elder Abuse Incidents Reported By PA News

Elder abuse can come in many different forms, including financial, emotional, sexual, and physical.  Recently, a Hanover Township woman has come under investigation for physical abuse and subsequent death of her 78-year-old aunt.  According to reports, the woman under investigation threw porcelain figurines at her aunt's head and face, causing the elderly woman significant and fatal damage to her head.  To read more about the report, please visit the original news source at The Times-Tribune here.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer who takes nursing home abuse and neglect cases in the western and central Pennsylvania areas.  He takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties, and his practice is based in Altoona, PA.  For more information on his firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.

Elder Abuse Case in Eastern PA

Instances of elder abuse are not uncommon in Pennsylvania, which has a large aging population.  Although most people think of physical violence when they hear the term "elder abuse", the term also actually encompasses financial, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect.  The Bucks County Courier Times recently covered an article highlighting a case of elder abuse in the county.  According to the article, the reports of elder abuse in the area have tripled since 2000.  The PA Secretary of Aging also reported that Pennsylvania seniors were scammed out of $2.5 million in the past year. 

Also noted within the Courier Times article, " In 2011-12, Pennsylvania Area Agencies on Aging received 18,454 reports of abuse, up from 18,129 in 2010-11. A few years ago, in 2006-07, the state reported 11,962 cases of abuse. According to the most recent state data, the three most common types of abuse experienced by older Pennsylvanians are self neglect, 41.7 percent; caregiver neglect, 24.7 percent; and financial abuse, 16.2 percent."

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer who takes nursing home abuse and neglect cases in the western and central Pennsylvania areas.  He takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties, and his practice is based in Altoona, PA.  For more information on his firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.

To access Pennsylvania’s resource page for elder abuse, please click this link.

To read more from the original Bucks County Courier Times article, please click here. 

Financial Elder Abuse Is Real!

It is one thing to hear about financial elder abuse stories, but it is another to read about them hitting so close to home! Recently, a Doylestown, PA area bank manager was accused of scamming over $350,000 from seniors who frequented his bank over a course of ten years.  When asked by a judge what he had purchased with the money, the man denied buying anything large or memorable.  Want to know more? Find the original article here.  There have also been several other cases in the Pennsylvania area with similar details and features.  One lesson to learn from these stories is to keep a close eye on your finances to make sure all your balances add up no money is being incorrectly removed from your accounts. 

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer who takes claims for elderly clients who have been abused financially, physically, emotionally, or sexually.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please visit his website athttp://www.stoehrlaw.com or call his firm at814-946-4100.

Pennsylvania Has Elder Abuse Hotline

            You may not know that Pennsylvania has a significant amount of claims related to elder abuse and neglect. This is due mainly to our state’s large aging population, which is among the highest in the country.  The State of Pennsylvania has noticed this occurrence and has created a website and resource center for victims or family members related to those who have suffered elder abuse.

            Pennsylvania has set up a statewide elder abuse hotline, which can be accessed by calling this number: 1-800-490-8505.  The hotline is open 24 hours a day and can be used a tipline to report activity related to abuse, neglect, exploitation, identity theft, or abandonment of an elderly PA resident.  Pennsylvania also has local Area Agencies on Aging that can assist in these situations. 

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer who takes nursing home abuse and neglect cases in the western and central Pennsylvania areas.  He takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties, and his practice is based in Altoona, PA.  For more information on his firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.

To access Pennsylvania’s resource page for elder abuse, please click this link. 

NCEA Examines Elder Abuse Nation-Wide

Unknown to many, an organization known as the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), is a branch of the Administration on Aging.  The NCEA has compiled a wealth of information regarding elder abuse across the country and where our country seems to be headed on the topic in the future. Some of the most interesting results of their research can be found below.  I strongly urge you to check out their website at http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/Library/Data/index.aspx for more information and to read the entire compilation!

Here are some interesting pieces of data collected by the NCEA:

• The 2010 US Census recorded both the greatest number and proportion of people 65+ years old in the entire census history.  This amounts to 40.3 million elderly residents.
• By 2050, the population will most likely be 20% comprised of people aged 65 and older.
• Data from the Adult Protective Services (APS) reports an increase in the number of reports of elder abuse in the past several years. They expect that this trend will continue.
• Only about 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse come to the attention of authorities.  Some report this statistic to be as high as 1 in 24 cases. 
• Financial exploitation is the highest self-reported form of elder abuse.  
• The majority of those who engage in elder abuse are family members, at a percentage of about 90% of all reported elder abuse cases. 
• The proportion of abuse of the elderly with disabilities is particularly high, as well as those with dementia and those who live in nursing homes or long-term assisted living facilities.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Does Your State Allow Elder Abuse Claims After Death?

In some states, elder abuse claims cannot be pursued after the victim has passed away.  In one recent case, a Minnesota nursing home was under attack after there were 15 alleged physical and/or sexual assaults of residents.  Many of the victims and their family members pursued lawsuits, but three years later, all of the lawsuits had been dismissed because the victims had died. This law known as Survival Law, mandates that a personal injury lawsuit can be dismissed if the victim dies of unrelated cases.  There are only three other states with this law.

Although this may appear unusual, the backers of this law claim that the law was created to compensate the victims for their suffering, not their family members.  Fortunately, Pennsylvania does not have any such law.  Personal injury lawyer Douglas Stoehr understands that family members suffer along with the victims when such incidents occur.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected in nursing homes or hospitals.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Nursing Home Abuse Is a Nation-Wide Problem

Recently, a Long Island area nursing home has come under public scrutiny for charges of alleged abuse at the hands of the facility's workers.   According to an article by the Long Island Press, several workers in a Medford nursing home were accused of covering up the death of one of their residents.  An alarm which alerts workers that a resident may be in distress was ignored for over two hours, according to some reports.  The death is proposed to have been caused by a failure of one of the workers to connect the resident's ventilator machine in at night.

Do you want to know how to spot the signs of a bad nursing home?  Our blog ran an article highlighting some tips and signs to watch out for if you suspect that your loved one is receiving substandard care in a nursing home.  Check out our blog post here for nursing home warning signs!

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer who  takes nursing home abuse and neglect cases in the western and central Pennsylvania areas.  He takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties, and his practice is based in Altoona, PA.  For more information on his firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com

To read more from the original article by the Long Island Press, please click here. 

You Could Be Responsible For Your Parent's Unpaid Nursing Home Bills

Did you know that you could potentially be responsible for your parent’s unpaid nursing home and assisted living bills? This may be a scary thought, but in many states with filial support laws, many families are faced with this problem. 

            According to a recent Forbes.com article, filial support laws were originally derived from 16^th century New England’s “poor laws” and, at one time, 90% of the states had such laws.  Now 29 states still have filial support laws on the books, including Pennsylvania.  Although throughout time many of these laws were not exercised, they are being enforced at a higher rate more recently.  Many people that this is due to the rising and extended cost of healthcare for the elderly. In one recent Pennsylvania case, a nursing home successfully received over $90,000 in payment from the son of a resident who was unable to pay for her care and fled the country.

One of the ways in which Pennsylvania assesses the ability to apply filial support laws is when the elderly parent has been abused or neglect by their care-providing institution, such as nursing homes or assisted living facilities. It also assesses whether the child of the non-paying parent has the financial resources and ability to pay the providing institution all or part of the bills.

In cases of elder abuse or neglect, it is very important to consult with a lawyer before making any decisions that may result in large legal and/or financial ramifications.  Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania who takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit  his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties. 

Want to know more? Check out the original Forbes.com story here.

Attorney Stoehr's Elder Neglect Case In The News

One of Attorney Stoehr's cases has been covered in area newspapers.  The case was an elder neglect/abuse claim against Warner's Home for the Aged in Altoona, PA.  The details of the case involved an elderly man who was residing in Warner's Home for the Aged and was taken to the area hospital after falling out of bed.  At the hospital, the hospital staff noticed that the man appeared to be in poor health.  He was covered in bedsores and fecal matter, was dehydrated and malnourished, appeared to be suffering from sepsis, and had urine-soaked bandages.  The man died a few weeks later.

When nursing home attendants were questioned about the man's health, nursing home staff reported that the workers on the third shift would often yell at residents and were open in declaring that they did not like their jobs.  The following morning, first shift workers would often find the man and his roommate covered in urine. Eventually, the owner of the nursing home and several aides were charged with neglect of a dependent person.  The owner of the nursing home was sentenced to 6-12 months in county prison and is forbidden from future work in a healthcare facility. The two aides also entered guilty pleas and face jail sentences and hefty fines.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania. He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit  his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties, including Huntingdon, Fulton, and Bedford counties.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Addresses Scams Aimed At Elderly

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an article on July 1st, 2013 that took an in-depth look at some recent, prominent scams that are being aimed at the area's elderly population.  For each common scam, the article described the offense, how to handle it after it's happened, and how to prevent other possible occurrences from happening.  Some of the scams the newspaper article covered included:

-The friendly handyman
-The bank examiner
-The relative in distress
-the pricey funeral
-the 'free' hearing exam
-bargain vacations/free prizes
-fake charity solicitations
-the estate plan scare

To read more about each of these scams in-depth and how the article suggests that you protect yourself, please click here to read the original article.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania. He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit  his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties, including Huntingdon, Fulton, and Bedford counties.

Elder Abuse Seminar in Montgomery County

Many counties within Pennsylvania are now holding seminars for their area's elderly population.  These seminars often focus on how to spot the different types of elder abuse, such as financial, physical, and emotional.  These seminars are especially important since Pennsylvania has one of highest populations of elderly residents in the country.

Montgomery County has also conducted seminars on elder abuse, such as "Elder Abuse: How To Spot It and How To Stop It".  The panel who ran the seminar talked about how self-neglect, caregiver neglect, and financial exploitation are the three most common forms of elder abuse.  The panel also urged its participants to learn how to spot elder abuse and report it when we see it.  To learn more about Montgomery County's elder abuse seminar, please click the link here.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania. He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit  his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Eastern PA Sheriff's Department Gives 911 Cell Phones To Seniors

Check out this article by the Norristown Patch.  It highlights an excellent service by the Sheriff's Department of Montgomery County, in which the county has set a program in which area seniors can receive 911 cell phones.  These cell phones can be used to place emergency calls in the event that they cannot reach another phone.  The general plan is for these phones to be used in cases of elder abuse, residential hazards, or other emergencies.

This is a program that would be beneficial in any area that there are a large number of seniors who are living independently or who might be at high-risk for elder abuse.  This 911 cell phone donation program is one that other counties or organizations in the state should consider implementing as well.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania. He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit  his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Scranton-Area Elder Abuse Caught On Film

An elder abuse claim in Scranton has been developing over the past while.  According to reports from The Times-Tribune, a man called in to Scranton-area police to report a claim of elder abuse against his mother, a woman in her 90s who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.  Her son had installed a secret camera in the house to keep an eye on her caretaker, who was shown physically and verbally abusing the patient on film.  

For more information on the story, please read the Times-Tribune article, which can be found here. 

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania. He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit  his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties, including Huntingdon, Fulton, and Bedford counties.