The Department of Aging is warning Pennsylvania seniors, their families, and caregivers about a new scam targeting older adults. DNA testing has become extremely popular in the past few years for people looking to learn more about their family history and health, and scammers are now targeting Medicare beneficiaries with a fraudulent DNA testing service. These scammers offer “free” genetic testing, claiming it is covered through Medicare, as a means for the senior to avoid disease or to find the right medications. This is simply an effort to gain access to a senior’s personal Medicare information, which can lead to access to financial information and more.
“Unfortunately, scammers continue to develop ways to target seniors,” said Secretary of Aging Robert Torres. “It’s a major priority to circulate new scam tactics to the public as we discover them to help older adults and their loved ones be one step ahead of potentially being a victim of these criminals.”
The Administration for Community Living suggests the following tips to avoid being scammed:
Do not accept genetic testing services, including a cheek swab, from someone at a community event, a local fair, a farmer’s market, a parking lot, or any other large event.
Always be cautious about giving out your personal information, including your Medicare number.
If you receive a genetic testing kit in the mail, don’t accept it unless it was ordered by your physician. Refuse the delivery or return it to the sender and keep a record of the sender’s name and the date you returned the items.
Always review your Medicare Summary Notice or Explanation of Benefits. The words “gene analysis” or “molecular pathology” may indicate questionable genetic testing.
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that one in 10 older adults is a victim of elder abuse, and according to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, for every case of elder abuse reported, five go unreported. This reporting rate is even more troubling in financial abuse cases, which estimates that only one in 14 cases is reported.
If you or a loved one have already received a genetic testing cheek swab or screening that was not ordered by a trusted provider, or have any concerns about possible fraud, find and contact your local Senior Medicare Patrol here or call 1-877-808-2468.
Anyone can report elder abuse by calling the 24-hour statewide elder abuse hotline at 1-800-490-8505, or by contacting their local Area Agency on Aging. Pennsylvania law protects those who report suspected abuse from retaliation and civil or criminal liability; all calls are free and confidential.
Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau was awarded with the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program seal by Destinations International in recognition of the organization’s commitment to industry excellence and meeting the industry standard for performance and accountability of destination organizations around the world.
“By achieving DMAP accreditation, these destination organizations have demonstrated that they have developed strategies for the direction of their destination and the policies and procedures to safeguard the use of public dollars,” said David Holder, CDME, DMAP Chair and Vice President – Tourism of JLL – Hospitality and Tourism Group.
“We are pleased to have Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau join our distinguished group of professionals,” said Don Welsh, President and CEO of Destinations International. “The industry distinction defines quality and performance standards for destination organizations and I look forward to welcoming them to the DMAP community.”
The accreditation program requires a destination organization to successfully comply with a multitude of mandatory and voluntary standards that span a variety of performance areas to gain this momentous achievement. The standards cover nearly all aspects related to the management and marketing of destination organizations including governance, finance, human resources, sales, communications, destination development and research. Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau joins the ranks of over 200 destination organizations who have obtained DMAP recognition. Susan Hamley, Chester County Conference & Visitors Bureau’s Executive Director is proud of both the designation and the team at the Visitors Bureau. “A great deal of hard work went into this process which took over 18 months to complete,” states Hamley. “One of our organization’s key Goals is Operational Excellence and this prestigious designation from Destination’s International supports achievement of that goal towards our Board’s overall vision.”
In a joint statement, Chester County Commissioners Michelle Kichline, Kathi Cozzone and Terence Farrell said, “One of the goals of Chester County’s 10-year economic development strategy, VISTA 2025, is ‘Quality of Place’ and tourism is a key strategy within that goal. Not only does the business of tourism support our economy by bringing significant revenue into our county, but it also strengthens our attractiveness to businesses looking to locate here and employees wanting to live here. We congratulate Susan Hamley and her team on this well-earned award and thank them for their contributions to Chester County’s tremendous ‘Quality of Place.’”
Kasia “Kay” Aist Davies, 72, of Kennett Square, died Friday, Sept, 27, at Crosslands in Kennett Square. She was the wife of Donald V. Davies, with whom she shared 35 years of marriage.
Born in Newark, she was the daughter of the late Wilmer Aist and the late Eileen Aist.
Kay was a chemist at the DuPont Co. in Glasgow.
She enjoyed birds, plants, flowers, trees, and being with her family and friends.
She was a gentle and quiet person and loved by all. She created beautiful artwork.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by one brother, Kent Aist in Maryland and one sister, Pamela Aist in Dedham, Mass.
Kay’s services and burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014
To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com
Arrangements the Kuzo Funeral Home, Kennett Square.
It’s clay time. Three clay exhibitions are opening this week and as an artist working in this medium, I am excited to spread the word about them. The invitational exhibition “Celebrating Clay” at Historic Yellow Springs in Chester Springs, features 24 seriously good artists from up and down the East Coast including Peter Beasecker, Jasper Brinton, Nell Hazinski, Rhoda Kahler, Suzanne Kent, Doug Peltzman, Liz Quackenbush and the legendary Jack Troy, to name a few.
Lindsay Brinton, a founding director of Chester Springs Studio shared this with me, “Celebrating Clay was organized to enrich the Studio’s clay and wood-firing program, introduce adult and youth students to the work of contemporary clay artists making functional and sculptural work in studios across the Delaware Valley and encourage a revival of the nationally recognized ‘Studio Days’ exhibition, visiting artist, and artist-in-residence programs of past years.” This year’s curators, Brad Johnson and Bernadette Curran, are also showing their work, both share a passion to mount a top notch clay focused show. Also on view, “Show us your Best Mug!” is a juried exhibition organized by the curators to give students and emerging artists a chance to be included in the event. An opening reception and gala will be held on Friday, Oct. 4th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. For tickets and details about other events tied to the exhibition, visit https://yellowsprings.org.
“Awaiting Arrival “by Brad Blair at The Art Trust
A ceramics exhibition titled “Ambush” opens on Friday at The Art Trust in West Chester and is featuring eight artists who are current faculty at Towson University. Both sculptural and functional works will be on view. I asked the curator, Andrew Snyder, Associate Professor of Art at West Chester University, about the meaning behind the title and he said, “An ambush is a gathering of tigers. Ambush is a nod to my alma mater, Towson University whose mascot is a tiger. The ceramics area at Towson has an amazing group of ceramic artists as their faculty with area coordinator Rich Holt at the helm.” Visitors will see high quality works by Holt and others including what Brad Blair calls his “sculptural monstrosities” and Danielle Hawk’s beautiful bowls. The opening reception is Friday Oct. 4th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Last but not least, mark your calendar for an exhibition titled “The Clay Bowl” which opens on Thursday, Oct. 10th at Chester County Art Association (CCAA).
“Starburst” by Stan Smokler
I first saw Stan Smokler’s timeless steel sculptures at an exhibition last June. His re-purposed found object pieces command attention. Smokler is part of “The Breakfast Club,” a small group of esteemed artists working in the Greater Brandywine Valley. He, along with Hugh Atkins, Glenn Blue, J. Clayton Bright, Rob Evans, George Martz, Terry Roberts, Gus Sermas and Kirby Smith meet regularly to share their art and experiences. The group is hosting an exhibition of their works at Founders’ Gallery in Wilmington, DE at Tower Hill School from Oct. 4th to Oct. 31st. The opening reception is on Friday, Oct. 4th from 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
There are several gorgeous works on view by eight alumni at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art including intricate works by Gregory Brellochs and Amy Herzel. The show titled “Downriver in the Multiverse” is a relevant collection of works focusing on our relationship with nature. Environmental, political and technological issues are addressed and some of the artists venture into the topic of spirituality. It’s a quiet show that packs quite a punch. If you are in Center City between now and October 13th, take a look. It’s on the first floor in the Alumni Gallery. Visiting will be worth the admission fee because the larger show that opened on Sept 26th, “Ancient History of the Distant Future” is quite spectacular. Jodi Throckmorton, Curator of Contemporary Art collaborated with Joseph del Pesco, International Director of KADIST (a non-profit in San Francisco and Paris) to intersperse contemporary works with PAFA’s historic collection. They’ve created some powerful juxtapositions that are hard to ignore. This show is on view now through February 02, 2020.
“Joyride 39” by Monique Sarkessian at Station Gallery
Other Events worth checking out: Station Gallery is featuring wonderful new oil and encaustic wax paintings by Monique Sarkessian. “Glory – New Paintings” opens with a reception on Friday, Oct. 4th. Also on Oct. 4th, Square Pear is hosting a reception for “Inspired by Nature”, a show featuring several painters including Lidia Kohutiak, Denise Vitollo and Diane Cannon along with jeweler Alexi Kletjian. Annie Strack, a plein air artist from Kennett Square will also be on hand and painting during the evening. At Gallery Duo, open Wed. through Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., see new works from Gallery artists, Alessandra Manzotti, Sus Iserbyt, and Katee Boyle.
A native of Philadelphia, Constance McBride lived in Arizona for 16 years, where desert observations made a transformative impact on her work as a research based visual artist. Passionate about contemporary art, she was actively engaged in the local arts community. She served as a board member for several art organizations, managed an artist collective/gallery space, curated and juried several exhibitions and wrote for two arts publications in Phoenix. She taught ceramics at Shemer Art Center and Museum and exhibited her work both locally and nationally. McBride returned to Pennsylvania in 2018 and resides in Chester Springs with her husband and two dogs. In West Chester, she serves as a board member at The Art Trust Gallery at Meridian Bank and teaches ceramics at Chester County Art Association. She also teaches at Clay on Main in Oley, PA. She is a member of American Craft Council, Philadelphia Sculptors, and Women’s Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Chapter.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
