It was 2001 when a Pottsville couple, Catherine and Robert Whitney, befriended 76-year-old Louis Long at Long's church. The couple gained the elderly man's trust, insinuating themselves into his life. Within two years, they had moved into Long's home and convinced him to name them as his financial guardians.

By the time Long died in 2006, the Whitneys had siphoned more than $84,000 from his hard-earned savings.The Whitneys were sentenced in 2009 to jail time for theft and the heart-rending case remains one of the most infamous examples of elder abuse in the county.It was the first case of elder abuse prosecuted in the wake of the creation in 2004 of the Schuylkill County Elder Abuse Task Force. The organization in 2007 became the Schuylkill Elder Abuse Prevention Alliance, or SEAP.Since then, elder abuse, especially financial abuse, continues to increase, said Georgene M. Fedoriska, executive director of the Schuylkill County Office of Senior Services."Schuylkill County last year received over 330 reports of alleged elder abuse. We expect to exceed that number this year," Fedoriska said. "History has shown that when the issue is very visible in our local news or we do trainings for entities that have substantial contact with seniors we will see an increase in referrals around that time."Our county receives reports that cover all the categories of elder abuse physical, emotional, self-neglect, caregiver neglect, exploitation and sexual," she said.To keep people alert to the problem, county commissioners have declared May as Elder Abuse Awareness Month.The highlight of the month included a ceremony last week to unveil a sculpture honoring the victims of elder abuse. The artwork, by Baut Studios of Swoyersville, Luzerne County, is at the county's Human Services building on North Centre Street, Pottsville.While those involved in senior services and other agencies that care for the elderly say the numbers of abuse incidents are increasing, it's hard to pin down exact figures because many of the victims are ashamed to admit they have been victimized."Unfortunately, we simply do not know for certain how many people are suffering from elder abuse and neglect. It appears that female elders are abused at a higher rate than males and that the older one is, the more likely one is to be abused," wrote the authors of the National Elder Abuse Incidence Study, released in 1998.According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, "signs of elder abuse may be missed by professionals working with older Americans because of lack of training on detecting abuse. The elderly may be reluctant to report abuse themselves because of fear of retaliation, lack of physical and/or cognitive ability to report, or because they don't want to get the abuser (90 percent of whom are family members) in trouble."Information from adult protective services agencies in all states indicates that more abuse cases are being reported, according to NCEA. But that's just the tip of the iceberg."Despite the accessibility of adult protective services in all 50 states as well as mandatory reporting laws for elder abuse in most states, and overwhelming number of cases of abuse, neglect and exploitation go undetected and untreated each year," the agency's website says.Call for helpIf you are an elderly person who is being abused, or if you suspect an elderly person is being abused financially, emotionally, physically or sexually, here are numbers you can call for help.• Pennsylvania's state wide elder abuse hotline: 800-490-8505• Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General's Elder Abuse Unit hotline: 866-623-2137.• Schuylkill County Office of Senior Services: 800-832-3313• Carbon County Area Agency on Aging: 610-824-7830• Monroe County Area Agency on Aging: 570-420-3735 or 800-498-0330• Lehigh County Area Agency on Aging: 610-782-3034• Northampton County Area Agency on Aging: 610-829-4540 or 800-322-9269Signs of elder abuseSome signs that an elderly person could be abused:• Look for any abrasions, bruises, fractures, burns or any other injury these may be signs of physical abuse.• Look for signs of psychological abuse such as threats, intimidation or humiliation. Signs may include low self-esteem, withdrawal, extreme changes in mood, suicidal behavior, confusion or disorientation.• Watch for signs of neglect, such as poor hygiene, malnutrition, improper medication or soiled clothing.• Look for an unusual or large bank account withdrawal. This may be a sign that someone is exploiting the elderly person's financial resources.• Keep an eye out for the common signs that they may be falling prey to a scam, such as frequent calls from telemarketers, shoddy home improvement work, numerous product purchases or ongoing charitable or religious donations. The loss of what may seem a minimal amount of money to someone with an average income may result in an elderly person having to go without food, medication or possibly his or her home.• Talk about their daily activities and contacts to ensure that nothing unusual is occurring or being concealed.Source: Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General