Our Team
Our personal life experiences have prepared and motivated us to serve as your guides and advocates. If you are still healthy, we can help you establish your options and get comfortably prepared for the future. Most of us hope to pass peacefully, when the time comes, in the comfort of our homes, surrounded by memories and loved ones. This requires significant advance planning; we take inventory of the specifics of your assets, age and health, projected retirement income, any veteran’s status, and your preferences, comparing your profile with statistical probabilities and our knowledge of national trends and local options. This helps us develop a plan of realistic options for you. Our strategic work to preserve your wealth and independence is supplemental to a qualified financial planner; we prefer to function as team members with your financial planner and accountant. If you are a caregiver of an older loved one, you probably have questions about what care options could be considered or how you can pay for necessary care while preserving family assets and avoiding personal responsibility. Our staff understands the stress that comes with your devotion. Through the combined efforts of experienced attorneys and accredited elder care coordinators, we help our clients not only preserve family wealth but also live with dignity. We’ve been in your situation and understand what you’re going through. Please take a moment to read our individual stories below.
Patrick Cawley
Owner and Attorney
Patrick@KeystoneElderLaw.com
Keystone Elder Law’s mission is to be the shield that protects the Middle Class from the costs of getting older. We do this work with passion because we are just like you. You are our neighbors. We see you every day, sometimes in good health and sometimes during times of worry.
I delivered your newspapers as a boy. Regardless of the weather, I slung my bag full of papers over one shoulder, got on my bike, and rode around my neighborhood in Hampden Township, Cumberland County. Some of you liked to have your newspaper well before sunrise on Sunday morning, so I got to your doorstep in the dark. When it came time to collect payment for the Patriot-News, you invited me into your living room while you wrote a check. We talked, you told me about your children, and I heard what was on your mind.
After graduating from Trinity High School and attending college and law school at the University of Notre Dame, I returned to my hometown. I continued to learn so much more about you. While serving as Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, I met regularly with experts on the legal and financial threats to older Middle Class Pennsylvanians. We put our heads together and rewrote significant parts of Pennsylvania law to better serve you.
Working with Keystone Elder Law, you will learn about essential planning tools, such as the power of attorney, health care power of attorney, living will, and trusts. These tools and the laws behind them have evolved because people who know you and the challenges you face helped to write the changes. I know, because I was one of them.
I decided to enter private practice and to become the owner of Keystone Elder Law because protecting the Middle Class is my mission. You are living longer than previous generations did. But that comes with a new set of challenges: preparing for health conditions that deprive you of control over your life, making sure that your spouse will not run out of money if you get sick, and leaving your hard-earned savings to children in ways that make sense.
We can protect you from these challenges. Let us build you a shield.
Kelly Walsh Appleyard
Attorney
Kelly@KeystoneElderLaw.com
Over the six years prior to starting at Keystone Elder Law, I was engaged in the general practice of law. Typical cases were financial in nature, including tax law, bankruptcy, dividing assets in divorce cases, and helping clients with disabilities to qualify for social security benefits. My personal commitment to treating others with honesty, kindness, and dignity helps me serve clients with difficult issues. My experience enables me to listen to you and guide your creation of a financial strategy to manage and preserve your assets for your loved ones.
My tax experience includes preparing inheritance tax returns, fiduciary returns for trusts and estates, income tax, and gift tax returns. Having represented taxpayers in audits, I can anticipate common issues, and recommend planning and recordkeeping strategies to minimize the impact of your taxes and prevent difficulties down the road as you navigate options and avoid circumstances that could be scrutinized by taxing authorities.
I have a good deal of experience in helping clients to manage debts and preserve assets through a variety of life changes, including practicing bankruptcy law in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. I am proud that my peers made me a board member and an officer for the Middle District Bankruptcy Bar Association.
I received my juris doctorate from the Dickinson School of Law in 2015. While there, I was fortunate to assist the senior estate law professor with advanced research on issues related to a power of attorney and elder abuse. I was honored by the Miller Pro Bono Program as a Public Interest Advocate, which is an award for a law student who has demonstrated a high level of dedication to serve the community. A highlight of my volunteer activity included helping first responders to prepare basic estate plans.
Before deciding to become a lawyer, I had a few years of practical work experience after graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Sciences degree from the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. My studies there centered around the School of Psychology and Brain Sciences, where the mission is “to unlock the mysteries of the human brain and behavior, and to prepare students to apply that knowledge to improve the lives of people around the globe.” I believe my experience doing research at that prestigious program has been at least as important in my practice of law as my legal degree.
Maybe you are facing Alzheimer’s disease, or something else that feels deeply personal and challenging. You deserve to be heard and treated with empathy and compassion by an attorney who understands that what seems like it could be a simple legal matter could have far-reaching impact in your life. That’s why I do my best to not only resolve the immediate legal question that brings you to our office, but also offer counseling about other related issues that my experience suggests could become serious future problems if not given some attention today.
I would feel honored to serve as your attorney as you benefit from the comprehensive approach to long-term care planning and guidance that Keystone Elder Law makes available for your benefit.
Karen E. Kaslow, RN, BSN
Care Coordinator
Karen@KeystoneElderLaw.com
In June of 2013, I joined Keystone Elder Law after learning about the firm’s commitment to improving the quality of life of seniors and their families. Navigating today’s health care system requires a multidisciplinary approach in order to understand the services that are available and the regulations that govern those services. Sometimes, combinations of services are required to meet the increasingly complex needs experienced by seniors as they age. Through education and service coordination, we can help individuals and families meet their physical, emotional, social, and financial needs. My health care knowledge is especially beneficial.
My educational background and training includes a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. My experience in the care of the elderly started while I was still in school, as I worked in an extended care facility as a nursing assistant. After receiving my degree, I continued to develop my skills through positions on hospital orthopedic and respiratory units. Subsequently, I moved on to a continuing care retirement community, where I was able to work with individuals in all levels of care from independent living to personal care to skilled nursing. For me, helping the elderly move through the continuum of care reinforced the importance of compassion, communication, and organization in order to ensure smooth transitions for all involved. In my twenty plus years of providing nursing care, I was also able to experience home care both professionally and personally as a caregiver as well as extended acute care situations. My desire is to use my knowledge and abilities to help clients maintain dignity, maximize their potential, and reduce the stress of adapting to changes in their health status.
In my role as Care Coordinator, I enjoy serving as a facilitator of varied services for seniors and their family members as well as a liaison with area organizations that provide services and support. In my free time, I enjoy the outdoors and spending time with family.
Jane Calvert-Mayo, Pa.C.P., CDP
Paralegal
Jane@KeystoneElderLaw.com
I joined Keystone Elder Law as an Administrative Assistant in December 2017. After learning the story behind why Dave and Marcia started this firm, I immediately knew that I wanted to support their vision to help others to be able to thrive and continue well into the future. As someone with a lifelong passion for helping others, cultivated through raising children of my own and giving back to the community through my volunteering efforts at LGBT Center of Central Pennsylvania, I feel truly at home on a team dedicated to supporting others in need.
When I first went to college, I was a semester away from earning my degree in Accounting, when I made the decision to put that on hold and concentrate on raising my four children. After they were all off to college, I went back to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in Human Performance Management from Immaculata University, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2012. During my time at Keystone Elder Law, I have expanded my knowledge of the different aspects of Elder Law, and have found my niche by working closely with our attorneys in the handling of the Estate Administration for our firm. I love meeting our clients and knowing that we are doing everything we can to help them navigate the difficult issues they are facing together with their families. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling the world, relaxing at the beach, and spending time with my children and grandson.
Kathy Gingrich
Benefits Coordinator
Kathy@KeystoneElderLaw.com
I joined Keystone Elder Law in October 2020 after 24 years working in the health care industry. Most recently, I spent over 11 years coordinating the accounts receivable process for a local senior living corporation. My passion is to be more involved in serving our senior population and their families. I was drawn to Keystone Elder Law’s dedication and individualized approach to providing an array of services.
I graduated from Penn State University with Bachelor of Science degree in Health Policy and Administration. Most of my career has been spent working in a long-term care setting. I bring a tremendous expertise in long-term care, Medicare, Medicaid and other areas to serve our clients.
Throughout my career, I experienced firsthand the issues families face understanding the complexity of their health insurance coverage. I have found that I can empathize and truly understand what many of our families are going through both on a personal and professional level. As Keystone Elder Law’s Benefits Coordinator, I will gather financial information and guide clients through every step of the Medicaid application process.
I grew up in a rural area of Clearfield County and moved to the southcentral PA area a few years after graduating from college. In 2005, I married my husband, Ty. When not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our 2 rescue dogs, Sherlock and Sookie.
Elizabeth Trump
Receptionist
Elizabeth@KeystoneElderLaw.com
I joined Keystone Elder Law in June 2021 and am humbled to be working with a team that is driven by
compassion to provide the utmost care to those who walk through our doors. Growing up, I found out
that I have a heart that is meant to serve others and now, I am privileged to be the one who welcomes
you, whether on the phone or in person! I will greet you cheerfully with a kind smile and a cup of coffee
or tea as you prepare for life’s ups and downs. I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you!
My favorite thing to do is to listen, especially when others are sharing something that lights their face up
with joy. I also enjoy listening to music, snuggling with my cat, Marshmallow, and reading.
Emily Race
Paralegal
Emily@KeystoneElderLaw.com
When I was 7 years old, my grandfather suffered a heart attack. My family felt helpless and scared of the potential outcomes. Thanks to the generosity of an organ donor, he was able to have a heart transplant that went extremely well. Now, we are grateful every day for his second chance at life.
This is just one of the reasons I was drawn to Keystone Elder Law. Their sincere compassion for older adults and their families as they navigate difficult situations is something I had never thought I would find in a law firm. When my own family was struggling with heavy circumstances and facing tough decisions, we would have benefitted exponentially from the expertise that our staff has to offer. The dedication of our team is second to none, and I now strive to show that same empathy and support to our clients and their families.
I graduated from the University of Miami in May of 2021 and began working for the Pennsylvania Department of Health shortly after, where I assisted a number of Pennsylvanians each day with pressing public health concerns and crises. I was able to connect with Keystone Elder Law in April of 2022 and have the privilege to now work here as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal learning the ins and outs of everything we do. Every day I look forward to meeting new clients, learning new things, and improving my skills to benefit the central PA older adult community. Outside the office, I enjoy hiking, crocheting, reading, and watching reality TV.
Kelly Coons
Client Engagement Specialist
KCoons@KeystoneElderlaw.com
I can happily say that I am the Client Engagement Specialist at Keystone Elder Law. I am here to help educate people on how to better prepare for the unforeseen complications that await them in the future. Whether in person or over the phone, I am looking forward to meeting you!
My work with older adults started as a high school volunteer in nursing homes. I had no idea at the time that I would commit my entire career to improving the later years of people’s lives!
I attended Kutztown University, where I earned my BA in Communications & Public Relations and competed on their swim team. After college I began working as an Independent Living Activities Coordinator at a retirement community. This experience with older adults convinced me that I had found the work I wanted to do. I continued to work in different settings and levels of care.
I have spent over five years helping and educating others about hospice. I served as a My Hospice Ambassador for Pennsylvania through the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. In this role, I met with United States Senators and Congressmen and educated them about the importance of hospice in the communities they serve. My role in hospice introduced me to Keystone Elder Law. I recognized something special in how this firm treats people. I wanted to be a part of it.
When I am not at work, I am on the move with my husband as we try to keep up with our son’s sports schedule. I coach swimming and enjoy traveling, hiking, reading a book full of twists and turns, and watching my son compete.
