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Weaknesses with Pa. aging department’s oversight could leave older adults at risk, audit finds

spotlightpa.org · 10h · first reportShare

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Aging’s oversight of local agencies charged with preventing elder abuse is riddled with weaknesses and deficiencies that could leave vulnerable older adults at further risk of harm, according to a stinging audit released Wednesday by the state’s top fiscal watchdog. The 80-page audit by Auditor General Tim DeFoor’s office also concluded that the department’s new system for monitoring the quality of abuse and neglect investigations no longer looks at key areas — such as whether an older adult was left at risk of harm — creating a rosier picture of how well caseworkers across the state are performing their critical work. In all, the department found 10 deficiencies in the way the aging department oversees and monitors the 52 county-based Area Agencies on Aging that provide essential services to older adults — and specifically, how well they conduct investigations into allegations of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and financial exploitation invol