On Wednesday, June 15, 2026 SeniorLAW Center hosted a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) program at Tel Hai Retirement Community in Chester County, PA.
In honor of WEAAD, we presented “A Conversation in Recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day” on June 15, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Tel Hai Retirement Community’s StoneCroft Center for Worship & Performing Arts located at 4000 Tree Line Dr. Honey Brook, PA 19344. Thanks to the Chester County Bar Association and other partners, this event provided older adults with practical information on support, safety, and care resources available in Chester County and across Pennsylvania; highlighted statewide and local efforts to prevent elder abuse and prosecute exploitation; and connected attendees to community resources through vendor tables and take-home materials.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is observed annually on June 15 to promote a better understanding of the abuse, neglect, and exploitation experienced by older adults and to encourage communities to take action to protect older individuals’ rights, dignity, and well-being.
The program featured keynote remarks from Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich, who talked about his department’s investments to modernize and improve protections for older adults and the importance of strategic partnerships across agencies, communities and different areas of expertise. “Working together as professionals through a person-centered, trauma-informed, multidisciplinary system, we can uphold the right of self-determination while supporting victims with personalized, coordinated, care plans rooted in respect and empowerment — all while providing for their safety,” he said.
Following his remarks, the program also featured an interactive panel discussion and audience Q&A moderated by Susan Nolen, Esq., Supervising Attorney in SeniorLAW Center’s Guardianship, Grandfamilies, and Victim Services project. Attendees had the opportunity to submit questions on elder abuse prevention, support, and resources for the panelists to answer during the Q&A. Panelists included:
- Kelly Miehl, Deputy Director, Chester County Department of Aging Services
- Roseanne Milanes, Esq., Director of Guardianship, Grandfamilies, and Victim Services, SeniorLAW Center
- Elizabeth A. Schneider, Esq., Chief Deputy Attorney General, Elder Exploitation Section
- Christine Zaccarelli, Esq., Chief Executive Officer, Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County
Pennsylvania has the 5th largest population of older people in the country with over 3.5 million Pennsylvanians aged 60 and older, 27% of its population. Last year, there were 66,719 reports of abuse or neglect to Older Adult Protective Services in PA, representing an 84% increase over the past 5 years.
In her opening remarks, SeniorLAW Center Executive Director Karen C. Buck underscored how harmful elder abuse can be for older people across the world. “For us, every day is a day to fight and raise our voices against Elder Abuse,” she said. “We are here because we believe that older adults should be revered, respected, valued, and heard. Let us say no to ageism, and yes to justice and to a world free of violence and exploitation.”
SeniorLAW Center is the only non-profit agency in Pennsylvania wholly dedicated to the needs of older people – and one of the few in the U.S. Founded in 1978, the Center provides free legal services to low-income Pennsylvanians aged 60 years or older; conducts educational, training and outreach events throughout the Commonwealth; and advocates for systemic reform to improve the lives of older people. The only one of its kind, the Center’s SeniorLAW HelpLine furnishes free legal advice to older adults in all of the Commonwealth’s sixty-seven counties.
The event was free and open to Tel Hai Community residents, caregivers, professionals, advocates, and community members interested in learning more about elder abuse prevention and available support services. In attendance were members of the bench and bar from Philadelphia and Chester counties, including Judges Paula Ott and Lois Murphy, attorneys from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Office of Elder Justice in the Court, and partners from the aging network, along with SeniorLAW Center attorneys and other legal services staff.