SeniorLAW Center

06/18/2026

Congratulations to Mariel Lorenz on being honored as a Community Service Award Recipient at today’s Philadelphia Corporation for Aging's Emergency Fund Coalition for Older Philadelphians Luncheon!

Mariel is being honored for her decade-plus service to older adults in her community, first as a staff member at the former Center for the Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of Elders (CARIE), and now as the Providing Advocacy for Victimized Elders (PAVE) program Supervisor at SeniorLAW Center.

Our colleagues were elated to join Mariel and her family at the Luncheon to celebrate this achievement commending her outstanding service to older adult victims. Thank you to the Emergency Fund Coalition and PCA for recognizing Mariel's impact!

06/18/2026

Join The First Judicial District Elder Justice Committee on June 23rd for a discussion on ways to identify and prevent financial exploitation and caregiver abuse.

In honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, this workshop features professionals dedicated to combatting financial exploitation and caregiver abuse/neglect of older adults. Resources will be provided by each presenter and other agency partners, including the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Senior Protection Unit; Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Elder Justice Unit; Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, and SeniorLAW Center.

Financial Exploitation & Caregiver Abuse Education Workshop for Seniors
June 23, 2026
11 AM - 1:30 PM
6150 Cedar Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19143

To RSVP, please call 215-472-9040.

06/16/2026

In honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), SeniorLAW Center presented "A Conversation In Recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day" on June 15th at Tel Hai Retirement Community in Chester County, PA.

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.

The program featured keynote remarks from Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich and 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. 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, The Crime Victims' Center of Chester County, Inc.

"For us, every day is a day to fight and raise our voices against Elder Abuse," said SeniorLAW Center Executive Director Karen C. Buck. "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."

06/15/2026

In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts’ (AOPC) Office of Elder Justice in the Courts (OEJC) has released an educational video titled "Elder Abuse: Financial Exploitation and How Pennsylvanians Can Stay Safe." PA Courts

SeniorLAW Center's Executive Director Karen C. Buck joined fellow members of Pennsylvania's Advisory Council on Elder Justice in the Courts in a recorded panel discussion to discuss how older adults can recognize and avoid scams and financial exploitation, how to respond and report abuse, and how to access resources available to the public.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is observed each year on June 15th, marking a global campaign to raise awareness of and prevent elder abuse in communities throughout the world.

Watch the video on the OEJC website at https://buff.ly/r6ALOpN and learn how we can all play a role in preventing elder abuse and supporting older adults across Pennsylvania.

06/12/2026

In honor of Pride Month, SeniorLAW Center shares Senior Director of Finance and Operations Larry Felzer's reflections about the intersection of justice, advocacy, and the meaning of chosen family.

At our 2024 “Celebrating Justice” Gala, we paid tribute to Larry's exemplary leadership in the public interest, legal, and LGBTQ+ communities, as well as his twenty-plus years of service advancing justice for older adults at SeniorLAW Center. As a Champion for Justice Honoree, Larry gave a speech which we have adapted into a blog post.

Read Larry's full speech at seniorlawcenter.org/blog/my-reflections-on-justice-advocacy-chosen-family.

At SeniorLAW Center’s 2024 “Celebrating Justice” Gala, we paid tribute to Senior Director of Finance and Operations Larry Felzer, Esq.’s exemplary leadership

06/02/2026

Please join us on Monday, June 15th for “SeniorLAW Center Presents: A Conversation in Recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day” at Tel Hai Retirement Community in Honeybrook, Chester County.

This event in honor of the international awareness day of elder abuse brings together partners and leaders in our area and across the Commonwealth to have an honest and transparent discussion around resources and support for older adults to live free of abuse and exploitation. Keynote remarks will be delivered by Jason Kavulich, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, followed by a panel moderated by SeniorLAW Center with panelists from partners Chester County Government Aging Services, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and the The Crime Victims' Center of Chester County, Inc. The event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is preferred and can be done so here: https://bit.ly/weaad2026.

05/29/2026

This Older Americans Month, SeniorLAW Center honors the grandparents and older relatives who are raising grandchildren and keeping families together.

Through our Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Project, we support grandparents and older relatives in Pennsylvania as they navigate the legal and practical challenges of raising children later in life. Whether helping secure custody, access benefits, or address other kinship care issues, our work helps strengthen family stability and supports the well-being of both caregivers and children.

Supporting grandparents and kinship caregivers is deeply connected to healthy aging. When older adults have access to legal advice, information, and referrals, they are better able to both care for themselves and for the children who depend on them.

SeniorLAW Center is proud to stand with grandparents raising grandchildren throughout Pennsylvania and help ensure older adults can age with dignity, security, and well-being.

05/28/2026

Check out this WHYY article linking the need for more staffing at the Fair Housing Commission (FHC) with the passage of the Safe and Healthy Homes bills and the benefits of "good cause" protections for Philadelphia tenants.

Staff Attorney Vincent Montoya-Armanios shared with WHYY that cases have recently taken longer to close due to the lack of a quorum of commissioners to hear cases in real time. “Now that all tenants will have a right to stay in their homes except for good cause, certainly thousands more tenants fall under FHC protection,” he said.

SeniorLAW Center agrees that the FHC needs more resources to ensure that Philadelphia's tenants have protection against unfair rental practices and having to fight an eviction in court. We urge City Council to support increased capacity for the FHC in the next fiscal year's budget.

Read the full article in WHYY at https://whyy.org/articles/fair-housing-commission-philadelphia-budget/.

Advocates say additional staffing would enable employees to prepare more cases for administrative hearings, positioning the agency to make more rulings.

05/27/2026

During Older Americans Month, SeniorLAW Center recognizes the important role that access to legal advice and information plays in supporting older adults’ health, stability, and well-being.

Through the PA SeniorLAW HelpLine (1-877-727-7529), older adults throughout Pennsylvania have access to free legal advice, information and referrals on a wide variety of civil legal issues, including elder abuse, financial exploitation, consumer protection, housing, kinship care, and more.

By helping older Pennsylvanians understand their rights and navigate difficult situations, SeniorLAW Center supports healthy and safe aging in communities across the state.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to age with dignity, security and peace of mind.

05/21/2026

This Older Americans Month, SeniorLAW Center recognizes the vital connection between safe, stable housing and older adults’ health and well-being.

Access to stable housing is essential to healthy aging, impacting everything from physical and mental health to safety, independence, and quality of life. Through our Housing Justice Project, SeniorLAW Center helps prevent homelessness and advances housing stability for low-income older homeowners and tenants in Philadelphia through critically needed legal services, education, and advocacy.

This Older Americans Month, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring older adults have the legal support they need to age with dignity, stability, and peace of mind.