DMVA is partnering with the Ministry of Aging to protect older veterans from abuse

WILKES-BARRE — The Military and Veterans Affairs Department (DMVA) is a webinar recently aimed at educating veteran advocates on how to identify and properly report abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older veterans. We have partnered with the Aging Bureau (PDA).

More than half of Pennsylvania veterans are over 60 years old. Factors that endanger older veterans include social isolation, disability, cognitive impairment, mental illness, substance use disorders, accessible assets, family / caregiver sense of rights, dependence on caregivers, and generations. There is a history of abuse during.

Four free 60-minute webins provided by DMVA and PDA’s Conservation Services Department educated advocates of the Elderly Protection Services Act (OAPSA) Act. Webins focused on how to recognize signs of abuse (injury, deprivation, harassment), neglect (failure to provide essential goods and services), exploitation (unwelcome behavior by caretakers), and how to write reports. It was.

The law requires facility employees or managers to report allegations of abuse, but veteran advocates are not required to report. Free webins are an important tool for caring and advocating veterans to learn how to properly report signs of neglect, abuse, and concerns. The webinar was attended by over 230 veteran advocates.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Aging Department and other veterans advocates to assist veterans,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Sindler, Deputy General of Pennsylvania and Deputy Secretary of DMVA. Served as an excellent means to educate and inform citizens about the vulnerabilities experienced by many older veterans. Our veterans are our limit to their services. We have earned no support and gratitude, they deserve it, and we need to do everything we can to prevent them from experiencing fraud. “

Aging Secretary Robert Torres said the Elderly Protection Services Act plays an important role in much of what the Ministry of Aging does.

“Learn about conservation services helps defenders, veterans, and all seniors understand how OAPSA can help protect the vulnerable aging population in Pennsylvania,” Torres said. “DMVA has brought together members of the government, aging, law, finance, law enforcement, and medical fields to create a practical solution to prevent economic exploitation of the elderly. Financial exploitation of the elderly. He is also a good collaborator in the Task Force, mitigating the effects of such exploitation. “

With the continued increase in economic exploitation and other elder abuse, the Ministry of Aging is calling for a significant renewal of OAPSA. More than 30 years after OAPSA became a legal guide to the protection of senior Pennsylvanians on PDAs, the agency said, the amount, type and extent of abuse has increased dramatically.

According to the Department’s Annual Report on Elderly Protection Services from 2019 to 2020, cases of suspected elder abuse have increased by 80% over the past five years.

When someone faces the decision to take care of an elderly family member, their ability to handle that responsibility and its impact on other family members should be considered in the following ways:

• Be realistic about what you can do.

• Know your financial resources and the cost of caring for that person.

• Seek external help and support groups.

• Look around the house. Is it easy for the elderly and disabled to move around?

• Know if other family members will occasionally lend a hand.

If you suspect abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an elderly veteran, you can report it by calling 1-800-490-8505.

“For those who served” package

Bill passes House Committee

House Rep. R-Harveys Lake, Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, decided to support veterans and their families by increasing state funding and strengthening the state’s veterans program. Announced a unanimous passage of the focused bill. ..

Additional legislation aims to further improve the state’s Veterans Oversight Commission.

“It is imperative that we bravely serve, recognize and respect all those who have fought for this great federation and nation,” said Bobuck. “We are approaching Memorial Day. , July 4th celebration, as the founding of this great country approaches, the Commission unanimously passed 12 bills and resolutions. I retired through the legislation passed by the Commission this week. We are very proud of what we are doing to honor military personnel and military personnel in various ways. Some of the legislation passed is to add members to the Veterans Commission to propose reforms. Yes, and some will increase the funding needed for many state veteran programs that Pennsylvania must offer. We look forward to each being enacted. “

House Bills 164, 941, 995, 1055, 1057, 1220, 1389, 1421, 1427. House Resolutions 96 and 103; Senate Bill 155 unanimously passed the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparation Committee.

The bill is currently being considered throughout the House of Representatives.

Veterans Commemorative Trust

The fund provides an ideal way pay

Pay tribute to those who have served

Memorial Day Holiday is a permanent respect for the Pennsylvania Veterans Memorial at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Anvil, Lebanon County, for those who served our state and nation during times of war and peace. Is reminded every year.

The largest veterans monument in the National Cemetery.

The Military and Veterans Affairs Department (DMVA) suggests that donating to a monumental trust fund is an ideal way to pay homage to those who have served our country.

“Many American military heroes are no longer with us, but their legacy of service and sacrifice lives on in our hearts and our commitment to commemorate their lives. “I’m on behalf of the Deputy General of Pennsylvania, DMVA. “The Pennsylvania Veterans Memorial is a reminiscent of the true sacrifices of war and a sacred place to visit and reflect on all those who have done selfless service to our country before us. . “

According to Schindler, 100% of the donation will go to ongoing maintenance costs such as landscaping, lighting and fountains, as well as the necessary maintenance of the entire monument’s structure and cosmetics.

Donations to the Pennsylvania Veterans Memorial Trust Fund can be made online at:

— Mail the check to www.donate.dmva.pa.gov or the Pennsylvania Veterans Memorial Trust Fund and mail it to:

— DMVA office, building of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 9-26, Fort Indiantown Gap, Anvil, PA 17003-5002. Donations can be made “as a memorial,” “as a memorial,” or “on behalf of you.”

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DMVA is partnering with the Ministry of Aging to protect older veterans from abuse

PA grapples with increase in elder abuse

HARRISBURG – Cases of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation increased more than 13 percent in 2016-17, new state data show.

Caseworkers confirmed almost 19 reports of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation every day in the 2016-17 fiscal year, according to that data.

The number of substantiated cases of abuse, neglect or exploitation increased more than 50 percent over the same period just three years prior, according to data provided by the state Department of Aging.

There were 6,899 cases of substantiated abuse or neglect of Pennsylvanians aged 60 or older in the 2016-17, compared to 4,365 such cases in 2013-14.

The Aging Department has yet to publicly unveil its 2016-17 adult protective services annual report but provided the data at the request of the CNHI Harrisburg Bureau.

Secretary of Aging Teresa Osbourne said the data on abuse “is sobering.”

She said the increase comes from a number of factors, not the least of which is the  growing numbers of seniors in the state who could potentially be abused or exploited.

By 2020, 1-in-4 Pennsylvanians will be seniors and those aged 85-and-older are the fastest-growing segment of the population, Osbourne said.

The state has been working to make sure people know how to report abuse, she said. Allegations about suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation can by calling: 1-800- 490-8505.

Better cooperation between state agencies to recognize and respond to elder abuse, neglect or exploitation “is the third leg in the stool,” Osbourne said.

The agencies that serve seniors across the state have been straining to keep pace with the demands, advocates said Monday.

The budget signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday provides $2.2 million more for protective services for seniors, Wolf’s spokesman J.J. Abbott said.

Rebecca May-Cole, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging, said that caseworkers serving the elderly population appreciate the additional funding, but it is far short of what they project they need.

An analysis by her group put the price tag of meeting the demand for protective services at closer to $8 million.

Ray Landis, lobbyist for the AARP in Pennsylvania, said that agencies on aging confronting a spike in abuse, neglect or exploitation allegations will unquestionably make dealing with those cases their top priority. That will leave less funding for other services for seniors, he said.

May-Cole agreed.

“There’s only one pot of money,” she said. “If protective services is demanding a bigger slice of the pie, that means the other slices are going to get smaller.”

Those other services could include things, like in-home care or home improvements, like ramps, that allow seniors to remain independent and still connecting with the community. If the state can’t afford that type of assistance, then seniors may be more likely to become isolated and more prone to fall victim to neglect or exploitation, May-Cole said.

“It’s a Catch-22,” she said.

Abbott said that in addition to the new funding in this year’s budget, the state’s gaming expansion passed last year should help, as well. The gaming bill that legalized mini-casinos and sports betting also provided the Pennsylvania Lottery with the opportunity to offer online games and operate keno and “virtual sports” games in bars. Senior programs in Pennsylvania are funded by the Lottery.

If those new gaming opportunities generate additional revenue for the Lottery, it could put the state in a better position to allocate more toward adult protective services next year, May-Cole said.

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PA grapples with increase in elder abuse