Clinical Updates Colloquium

Reverend Doctor Costen has worked for the last 50 years with and on behalf of older adults and those with developmental disabilities in Pennsylvania. He is recognized as a national expert in the field of aging, primarily in the area of protective services. He is the recipient of lifetime achievement awards by both the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and National Association of Social Workers – Pennsylvania Chapter, as well a being recognized by the General Assembly of Pennsylvania for is major contributions. Reverend Doctor Costen currently serves as Associate Pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Harrisburg.

Ms. Getgen has been a registered nurse for over 20 years.  Her extensive nursing background has been mainly in the areas of intensive care and corrections.  She has worked for the Commonwealth for Pennsylvania since 2000.  Her first position with the commonwealth was with the Department of Health as a Health Facility Quality Examiner.  Currently she is the Director of the Protective Services Office within the PA Department of Aging.  In that role she is responsible for the statewide protective services program including operations and oversight of Protective Services including Mandatory Abuse Reporting and the Criminal History Background Checks. 

Linda Shumaker is a gerontological certified registered nurse who is a private consultant as well as currently in clinical practice in Harrisburg Pennsylvania.  She has previous served as Outreach Coordinator of the Pennsylvania Behavioral Health and Aging Coalition.  In 2005, as founding Executive Director of the Coalition, she advocated for funding and received over $325,000 to outreach and educate older adults regarding behavioral health issues.  She introduced policies to encourage the Mental Health and Aging’s “systems” of care to work cooperatively to serve older adults with behavioral health issues.  Ms. Shumaker has also served as the Executive Director of Prevent Suicide PA, a statewide nonprofit to support those affected by suicide, provide education, awareness and understanding by collaborating the community to prevent suicide and reduce the stigma associated with suicide. Ms. Shumaker spearheaded Pennsylvania’s Older Adult Suicide Prevention Plan, one of the first in the country, as well as advocating and obtaining a Mental Health Bulletin ensuring that adults with dementia and secondary psychiatric symptoms have access to mental health treatment.  Ms. Shumaker also has worked at the Central Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA.  Ms. Shumaker has extensive clinical experience working in community mental health, geriatric assessment teams and in long-term care.   In addition, she has been an instructor of psychiatry at the Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, co-chair and founding member of the Pennsylvania Mental Health and Aging Coalition.  She has served as a member of the Older Adult Committee of Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Planning Council and a member of the Long-Term Care Subcommittee of the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee. Ms. Shumaker has also served on the Ethics Committee of Temple University’s Protective Service Institute. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania State Alzheimer’s Association and the Advisory Board for the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.  Ms. Shumaker’s “special interests” include ethical and social policy issues in relation to the care of the elderly with behavioral health problems.

Lydia DeBiase is an Instructor at Kutztown University.  She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has a private practice specializing in working with maltreated children. She worked in child welfare for 17 years. She has provided supervision both in an agency setting and as a clinical supervisor.  She has been a field instructor for interns for many years.