SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — About 90 local law enforcement officers gathered Thursday to learn how to detect elder abuse and what steps they can take to make arrests in those cases.
The training session, entitled “Elder Abuse Training for Law Enforcement” was presented by Ronald Costen, PhD, Esq., of Temple University Institute of Protective Services and sponsored by Schuylkill Elder Abuse Prevention Alliance Inc. at Lori’s Angels Conference Center.
Costen touched on many topics dealing with elder abuse, including the Older Adult Protective Services Act that was enacted in 1987 to protect individuals over the age of 60 from abuse, neglect, exploitation and abandonment.
Then, in 2010, Costen said the Adult Protective Services law was enacted to provide protective services to adults between the ages of 18 and 59 who have a physical or mental impairments that limit one or more major life activities.
“Prior to 2010 there was no legal authority to investigate abuse cases of persons with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 59,” he said.
Costen said that according to the state Department of Aging, self-neglect is the most frequently substantiated mistreatment of elder victimization at 47 percent, followed by caregiver neglect at 18.7 percent. Financial exploitation is third at 15.7 percent, emotional abuse is fourth at 13.6 percent, and physical and sexual abuse at 4.9 percent.
Costen said law enforcement serves as the eyes and ears in their community for seniors in need of services provided by Area Agencies on Aging.
He said that law enforcement officers often interface with AAA case workers by accompanying them to dangerous situations, serving Protection From Abuse orders, enforcing court orders of guardianship, and involuntary intervention and conducting welfare checks and criminal investigations.
Costen also touched on the definitions of abuse, neglect, financial exploitation and elder asset theft-related crimes.
On one real life case, Costen said a husband and wife, operators of a personal care home, failed to care for an elderly man, isolated him from his family and also depleted his checking account. The man died as a result and the two were eventually convicted of 3rd degree murder, theft and receiving stolen property that resulted in prison sentences of five to 10 years.
Among those attending were Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine Holman and chief county detective Dolores “Dolly” Malec.
Malec heads the Schuylkill County Elder Abuse Task Force, a position she was appointed to in 2001 by then-District Attorney Frank Cori.
Holman said educating law enforcement officers, as well as the public in general, to recognize elder abuse and act on it is extremely important.
“This is critical for all police officers so they get to know what elder abuse is, both physical and financial,” she said.
Holman said that when she took office in 2014, Malec was instrumental in bringing elder abuse back to the surface.
“Elder abuse cases were not a high priority,” Holman said. “She (Malec) brought elder abuse crimes back to where they belong, a high priority.”
Eileen Barlow, SEAPA chairwoman, said the mission of the group is to prevent elder abuse in Schuylkill County adding that Thursday’s conference was designed to show police officers and other officials how to detect signs of that abuse and take the appropriate action.
Barlow said SEAPA tries to fulfill its mission by training “target groups,” such as those on Thursday, on how to identify, prevent and prosecute elder abuse.
She said Thursday’s training was possible through a partnership between SEAPA, Temple University Institute of Protective Services in Philadelphia, Schuylkill County Office of Senior Services and the Schuylkill County District Attorney’s Office.
Attending the seminar were police officers from Kline Township, Pottsville, Girardville, Minersville, Schuylkill Haven, Saint Clair, Ashland, Cass Township, Mahanoy City, Mahanoy Township, McAdoo, Orwigsburg and Pine Grove as well as Schuylkill County Detectives, representatives of the Schuylkill County Coroner’s Office, the Schuylkill County Sheriff’s Office, the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force, the county Office of Senior Services and Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville.