Monday, July 15, 2013

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.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

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.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

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.