Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters.
When older adults are declared legally incapacitated, guardians are appointed to take over decision-making regarding their health or financial affairs. Pennsylvania’s guardianship law is set up to protect older people from potential fraud or other forms of abuse.
Despite those efforts, claims of abuse and financial exploitation by guardians have made their way to the courts. A Spotlight PA review of some of these cases and conversations with people who specialize in elder law revealed flaws in the guardianship system and other shortcomings in safeguarding this vulnerable population.
On Thursday, June 1 at 6 p.m. ET, Spotlight PA’s Angela Couloumbis and other expert panelists gathered for a free Q&A on Pennsylvania’s elder protection laws and how they could be improved.
Our panelists included:
Angela Couloumbis, investigative reporter for Spotlight PA
State Sen. Art Haywood (D., Philadelphia)
Steve Feldman, lawyer specializing in health and elder law
Tina Paone, professor of education counseling and leadership, Monmouth University
Elder Law Q&A from Spotlight PA on Vimeo.
» Spotlight PA’s events operate on a “pay-what-you-can” honor system. If you value this public-service event, pay it forward and contribute any amount to Spotlight PA now so we can keep our programming free for everyone: spotlightpa.org/donate.
![Get the top news from across Pennsylvania, plus some fun and a puzzle, all in one free daily email newsletter.](["https://files.data.spotlightpa.org/uploads/01j9/9jza/19.png"] "Get the top news from across Pennsylvania, plus some fun and a puzzle, all in one free daily email newsletter.")