The Pennsylvania Department of Aging has initiated a significant regional effort to enhance protections for older adults experiencing abuse, neglect, and exploitation. On October 3, 2023, Secretary Jason Kavulich visited the Berks County Area Agency on Aging to announce a new partnership involving Berks, Lehigh, and Lancaster counties. This collaboration aims to establish a multidisciplinary team (MDT) hub that will integrate resources from various sectors, including social services, law enforcement, healthcare, and finance.
Strengthening Community Protections
This MDT hub is designed to improve coordination on complex cases related to elder abuse. By bringing together professionals from different fields, the counties will work together to respond more effectively to incidents of abuse, particularly financial exploitation, which has become increasingly prevalent. Berks County is one of the first regions in Pennsylvania to receive tailored consulting support from Weill Cornell Medicine, a recognized leader in elder justice initiatives.
“Today is another step we are taking as a department, as an administration, as partners to ensure that we are building a commonwealth of communities that protects our older adults,” Kavulich stated during his visit, highlighting the importance of this initiative.
Across Pennsylvania, five applications were selected to receive expert guidance, including collaborations from Bucks, Cumberland, and Indiana counties, as well as a six-county rural coalition in north-central Pennsylvania.
According to Jessica Jones, Director of the Berks County Office on Aging, her agency is thrilled to partner with Lancaster and Lehigh counties. “Through this multidisciplinary team approach, we seek to enhance our capacity to promote elder justice and improve outcomes for the older adults we serve,” she remarked.
Addressing Growing Concerns
During the announcement, John T. Adams, Berks District Attorney, underscored the escalating sophistication of financial scams targeting older residents. “We’re really at a crisis point in protecting many of our older residents,” he noted. Adams, along with district attorneys statewide, has urged updates to Pennsylvania’s Older Adults Protective Services Act to address these pressing issues.
Kavulich echoed Adams’ concerns, emphasizing that the current legislation does not adequately address financial exploitation, now recognized as one of the fastest-growing forms of elder abuse. Governor Josh Shapiro has proposed necessary updates to the act, which include adding financial exploitation as a crime and enhancing background check requirements for caregivers. His proposed budget for 2026-27 allocates over $6 million in additional funding for aging services statewide.
Lisa Rachmuth, program administrator at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Center for Elder Abuse Solutions, praised the regional hub model, stating it will enable counties to respond more swiftly and effectively to the needs of vulnerable adults while maintaining their dignity and autonomy.
County Commissioner Christian Leinbach commended the collaboration among the counties, calling it part of a broader trend towards regional cooperation. “Regionalization is where it’s at. This is another way that we partner to better protect one of the most vulnerable populations in our communities,” he emphasized.
With 52 area agencies on aging across all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, the Department of Aging aims to refine and expand the MDT model. This initiative seeks to create a more coordinated system, ensuring that older Pennsylvanians can live safely and with dignity in their communities.
