Latest news with #LackawannaCountyAreaAgencyonAging
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lackawanna County recognizes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
SCRANTON — As part of annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Lackawanna County on Friday held an event to highlight the ways older adults increasingly experience abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, locally and beyond. The event at the county government center downtown also recognized and thanked the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging and other local organizations for their efforts to prevent elder abuse and assist victims of it. Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich, who was a director of the county's Area Agency on Aging, lauded his former department. 'These individuals that go out each and every day and make sure that older adults are protected from abuse, exploitation and neglect are really doing some amazing things,' Kavulich told a crowd of about 35 people. Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich, at podium at right, and who was a former director of the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, speaks Friday, June 13, 2025 at a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event at the Lackawanna County Government Center in Scranton. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which is recognized annually June 15, aims to raise awareness about older adults experiencing some form of mistreatment, and to have the public better understand the problem, as well as learn ways to identify, address and prevent it. Elder abuse can take many forms, including neglect, financial exploitation and emotional, sexual or physical harm. It can occur in various settings, including homes, public places and nursing, personal-care or assisted-living centers. It can involve family members, caregivers, health care professionals or strangers. Financial exploitation, whether done by a family member, a scam or someone else, has now become the largest category of elder abuse in the state, Kavulich said. 'This is something we need to talk about all the time. This is something that we need to make our neighbors aware of. This is something that we need to make sure is at the forefront of the conversation, because once those resources are gone, individuals cannot get it back,' Kavulich said. Pennsylvania is home to 3.4 million older adults, the fifth-highest total in the nation, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. As director of the county Area Agency on Aging, Kavulich led the development of the Older Adult Advocacy Center at Telespond Senior Services, 1200 Saginaw St. in Scranton. Described as the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, this center represents a national-level model of integrating services regarding elder mistreatment. It brings together medical, behavioral, legal and judicial services while offering temporary housing for victims as a plan is developed to meet their needs. Last month, Kavulich and local officials cut the ribbon on the Older Adult Advocacy Center. Other organizations that participated in Friday's event and received certificates of recognition and the first Jack T. Harte Awards 'for providing exceptional resources for older adults experiencing abuse, neglect or exploitation' included Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Telespond Senior Services, the Wright Center, Scranton Counseling Center, and the Lackawanna County Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Other speakers included current county Area Agency on Aging Director Sara McDonald and Assistant Director Kerri Anzulewicz, and Lackawanna County Commissioners Chris Chermak and Bill Gaughan. Gaughan noted that victims of elder abuse are parents, grandparents and neighbors, 'and their pain is real.' 'To turn a blind eye is to betray our shared humanity. But I'm proud to say that here in Lackawanna County, we do not turn away. Here, we act, we care and we protect. And we do so thanks in no small part to the remarkable team at the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging,' Gaughan said. Chermak also said the Area Agency on Aging's elder abuse protective services team 'is a beacon of hope' that last year investigated 1,475 reports of elder abuse and provided critical support and resources to those in need, and set a national standard with Telespond. 'Whether physical, emotional, financial or neglect, elder abuse strips our seniors of the dignity and safety they deserve,' Chermak said. Lackawanna County Commissioners Bil Gaughan and Chris Chermak speak during the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day program in the Commissioners Board Room in the Goverment Center in Scranton Friday. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) To report suspected elder abuse, whether at home or in a care facility, call the statewide Elder Abuse Hotline at 1-800-490-8505. * Director for the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging Sara McDonald introduces a speaker in the Commissioners Board Room in the county Government Center in Scranton Friday, June 13, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich joins the Lackawanna County Commissioners and, seated from left, Protective Services Supervisors Emily Stout and Lindsey Stevens, Protective Services Administrator Kristina Fiore, Deputy Director for the Area Agency on Aging Kerri Anzulewicz and Director for the Area Agency on Aging Sara McDonald for the Elder Abuse Awareness program in the Commissioners Board Room in the Goverment Center in Scranton Friday. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging pamphlets on elder abuse on display Friday, June 13, 2025 at a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event at the Lackawanna County Government Center in Scranton. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) Show Caption 1 of 3 Director for the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging Sara McDonald introduces a speaker in the Commissioners Board Room in the county Government Center in Scranton Friday, June 13, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Expand
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senior farmers market vouchers to be distributed in June, July
The Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging and the county's community relations department will start distributing next month vouchers that eligible older adults can redeem for fresh produce at participating farmers markets. The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will this year provide county residents ages 60 and older who meet certain income guidelines with up to five $5 voucher checks they can exchange for fruit, vegetables and herbs at participating farmers markets and farm stands. Those who turn 60 by Dec. 31 are also eligible, provided they meet income eligibility rules. To qualify, household income must be at or below $28,953 for households with one resident; $39,128 for households with two; $49,303 for households with three; $59,478 for households with four; $69,365 for households with five; and $79,828 for households with six. The program has long been popular in Lackawanna County, where last year older adult recipients redeemed the vouchers at the highest rate in Pennsylvania. State figures for 2024 show those recipients redeemed 32,875 of the 36,350 voucher checks issued in Lackawanna, a state-high redemption rate of about 90.4%. But the value of the vouchers dropped by half this year — voucher checks were worth $10 each in 2023 and 2024 but will be worth $5 each this year — due to a reduced legislative appropriation for the program. Voucher-check values have fluctuated in recent years. They increased in 2020, from $5 to $6, before increasing again to $10 in 2023, thanks to expansion funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and two-year funding provided under the federal American Rescue Plan Act, according to a state Department of Agriculture budget presentation for fiscal year 2024-25. That document noted the voucher values 'could recede in 2025 without additional federal or state investments,' and recede they did. Nonetheless, eligible recipients can still receive up to $25 worth of vouchers when distribution begins next month. They should bring a valid Pennsylvania ID with them to the distribution site and can send a proxy in their place if unable to attend. Proxy forms are available online at or can be mailed upon request. The 2025 voucher distribution schedule is as follows: June 17: Merli-Sarnoski Park, 286 Sandy Banks Road, Mayfield, 9 a.m. to noon. June 18: Throop Senior Community Center, 500 Sanderson St., Throop, 9 a.m. to noon; and Mid Valley Senior Community Center, 310 Church St., Jessup, 9 a.m. to noon. June 23: North Pocono Senior Community Center, 6 John J. Michaels Drive, Covington Twp., 9 a.m. to noon; and Taylor Senior Community Center, 700 S. Main St., Taylor, 9 a.m. to noon. June 25: Hillside Senior Community Center, 1151 Winola Road, Clarks Summit, 9 a.m. to noon. June 26: Scranton Senior Community Center, 1004 Jackson St., Scranton, 9 a.m. to noon; and Fallbrook Senior Community Center, 185 Fallbrook St., Carbondale, 9 a.m. to noon. June 30: Dunmore Senior Community Center, 1414 Monroe Ave., Dunmore, 9 a.m. to noon; and Scranton Jewish Community Center, 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, 9 a.m. to noon. July 19: South Scranton Farmers Market, 526 Cedar Ave., Scranton, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 23: Scranton Co-Op Farmers Market, 900 Barring St., Scranton, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Distribution at each site will end before the designated time if the supply of allotted vouchers is exhausted, officials said. For more information call the county Area Agency on Aging at 570-963-6740. Owners of Uncle Bill's BBQ Carol Laseburg and her brother Bill Laseburg serve food for a customer at the Carbondale Farmers Market in Carbondale Thursday May 8, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Mark Marsico, of The Patchwork Kitchen, serves bread to Cara India and Amelia DiFebo, of Greenfield Twp., at the Carbondale Farmers Market Thursday, May 9, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)A customer shops at Bobbie Cook's Bakery at the Carbondale Farmers Market Thursday, May 8, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Owner of Lake Ariel-based Mid-Valley Organics Diana DeVito prepares a pothos to sell at the Carbondale Farmers Market Thursday, May 8, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Owner of Bobbie Cook's Bakery Katherine Pawelski waits on a customer at the Carbondale Farmers Market Thursday, May 8, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senior farmers market vouchers will be worth less this year, down from $10 each to $5
Vouchers that eligible older adults can redeem for fresh produce at participating farmers markets will be worth half as much in 2025. The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will this year provide county residents ages 60 and older who meet certain income guidelines with up to five $5 voucher checks they can exchange for fruit, vegetables and herbs at participating farmers markets and farm stands. The value of the vouchers is dropping by half, from $10 last year to $5 this year, reducing the overall amount individual voucher recipients have to spend from $50 to $25. Lackawanna County officials announced the change in a recent news release, attributing it to a reduced legislative appropriation for the program. The value of the voucher checks has fluctuated in recent years. They increased in 2020, from $5 to $6, before increasing again to $10 in 2023, thanks to expansion funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and two-year funding provided under the federal American Rescue Plan Act, according to a state Department of Agriculture budget presentation for fiscal year 2024-25. The document noted the voucher values 'could recede in 2025 without additional federal or state investments.' The change impacts a program particularly popular among Lackawanna County older adults, who last year redeemed farmers market vouchers at the highest rate in Pennsylvania. It's administered in the county by the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging. State figures for 2024 show Lackawanna County recipients redeemed 32,875 of the 36,350 voucher checks issued here, a state-high redemption rate of about 90.4%. Lackawanna was the only county in Pennsylvania to crack the 90% mark. The value of the redeemed vouchers was $328,750 last year. They would be worth $164,375 this year. Elsewhere in the region, the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties administers the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program in those counties. State figures list 39,555 vouchers redeemed in 'Luzerne' for a 2024 redemption rate of about 89.1%, though it's likely those figures also include vouchers redeemed by Wyoming County recipients. Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging Director Sara McDonald recently attributed the program's local success in the county partly to its in-person distribution process. Reached Monday, McDonald said the reduction in voucher values will be unexpected by those who benefit from them. 'As a partner agency who plays a role in the distribution of vouchers, it's important to Area Agencies on Aging to communicate this to people in advance of the distributions,' she said in a text message. 'Cutting the vouchers in half as food costs continue to increase will impact many income eligible seniors by providing less choice when purchasing healthy produce from the farmers markets.' McDonald said last month that local officials usually distribute the vouchers in June and early July. The Farmers Market Nutrition Program season runs from June through November, according to the state Department of Agriculture's website. Information on the 2025 voucher season will be posted online at when it becomes available. Program information is also available via the state Department of Agriculture's website,
