Professor Katherine C. Pearson offers ‘A Close Look at Senior Living Options’ at Penn State Harrisburg

CARLISLE, Pa.—During November 2025, Penn State Dickinson Law Professor Katherine C. Pearson was a guest speaker at Penn State Harrisburg for a two-part course that took “A Close Look at Senior Living Options in Pennsylvania.”

The class was part of a series of fall semester offerings at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Pearson was invited to speak by OLLI organizers, including Kathy Seidl and Patty Aguilera Hermida, with the sessions held in the Madlyn L. Hanes Library at Penn State Harrisburg.

The first session offered resources about an array of senior living options, including assisted living facilities, personal care homes, nursing homes, and more. Pearson discussed how and why some options are regulated by various state agencies and when personal consultation with an elder law attorney or geriatric care manager might be useful before signing any contract.

The second session focused on "Continuing Care Retirement Communities" (CCRCs, also sometimes called Life Plan Communities), and Pearson discussed what to look for in contract options, including the significance of any fees described as "refundable."

Pearson had worked with Seidl and Hermida on "law and aging" prior to planning the program on senior living options for OLLI. You can view Pearson’s materials for the course by clicking here.

Professor Katherine C. Pearson teaches courses on contract law and elder law and is also the Arhtur L. and Sandra S. Piccone Faculty Scholar for Penn State Dickinson Law. She recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship at University of Ottawa in Canada researching comparative approaches to access to justice.