Institute News

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has formed an Elder Law Task Force, chaired by Justice Debra Todd, to study the growing problems involved in guardianship, abuse and neglect, and access to justice. The task force has been charged by Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Ronald D. Castille with recommending solutions that include court rules, legislation,...
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Police have accused an Ephrata woman of stealing about $50,000 from her mother. Theft charges against Gail Moyer, 53, of 38 Peaceful Lane, stem from an investigation into her role as power of attorney over the financial affairs of her mother, Lorraine Leisey, police said Wednesday.  A Lancaster County Office of Aging employee received...
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Police have charged a Lititz man with stealing nearly $200,000 from his elderly sister.  Dennis L. Hines, 58, of Kings Cross Road, was charged with 16 counts of theft by deception following an eight-month investigation of elder abuse by Manheim Township detectives. According to police, Hines was serving as power of attorney for his...
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The Institute on Protective Services is funded by the PA Department of Aging to deliver elder abuse prevention training seminars to financial institutions and law enforcement throughout the Commonwealth.   The rapid rise in financial exploitation of the elderly has increased the need for focus on this type of elder abuse which is often...
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Rita Wynegar pleaded guilty to theft by unlawful taking and forgery in October after it was determined she had stolen $240,000 from her great-aunt, Lidia C. Coito, between 2007 and 2010 through her power of attorney.  The thefts came to the attention of the authorities when the elderly woman found herself facing eviction from...
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Editor’s note:  The following is an excerpt from an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer by Chris Mondics. Staff from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, the Institute on Protective Services, and the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging were all interviewed for and mentioned in the study released by the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO).  The full...
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – A 58-year-old Knox man was sentenced to serve time in state prison in connection with the theft of over $250,000 from his elderly aunt. David Lynn Patton, of Knox, was found guilty on September 18 in Clarion County Court of Common Pleas on over 90 counts of Theft by Unlawful...
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BLAIRS MILLS, Pa. — State troopers arrested a personal care home provider after a blind dementia patient wandered away from her room and was found dead in a nearby creek Wednesday morning. According to a criminal complaint obtained by 6News, Connie Ann Souders was charged with felony neglect of a care dependent person and...
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The wife of a former York City police officer has pleaded guilty to one count of theft for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from her elderly aunt. Rita L. Wynegar, 52, of 431 Dartha Drive in Dallastown, remains free pending her sentencing hearing, set for Dec. 31. Court records indicate she must return...
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BEDFORD – No job. No money. What about Mom and Dad’s bank account? It’s an increasingly common – and illegal – cash supply for those with elderly parents, as evidenced by the recent theft charges against former Bedford County jail warden Donald Orr Jr. and his wife, the county’s aging-care executive said Tuesday. “We...
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