Extensive reports of elder abuse result in Louisiana Office of Elderly Affairs audit

BATON ROUGE, La. (WGNO) — A recent report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor revealed that there may be misconduct and inaction in the Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs including allegations of abuse against elders.

Louisiana lawmakers are questioning the agency’s leaders and production through fiscal years 2018-2022. Especially when the audit shows the same funding as “Adult Protective Services,” which serves people from ages 18-59 but produced twice the amount of reports.

“It’s incredible to me that the funding is the same. The staff is very close to the same, but the size of the report numbers was incredibly different,” said State Senator Beth Mizell (R-Franklinton).

The Office of Elderly Affairs was put in place for the protection of Louisiana residents age 60 and over, who are vulnerable to harm from themselves and those in charge of their well-being.

The audit stems from several claims of unreported forms of elder abuse and neglect such as caregiver neglect, financial exploitation, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and much more.

Audit Preview

The audit also claimed that “Elderly Protective Services” (EPS) suffers from a lack of follow-ups, preventative deaths, staffing issues, and an ineffective data system. The following statistics were reported by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor:

• EPS may not be receiving all reports of abuse due to them not taking calls outside of business hours. In accordance with best practices, multiple methods for trained personnel to receive reports 24 hours a day should be established.
• EPS has not developed sufficient criteria to ensure intake staff is properly trained to make the correct decisions when it involves financial scams, homeless clients, or cases with missing information. Cases also do not require supervisory review of rejected cases.
• EPS does not meet the required timeframes when assigning reports or investigating a claim. Time is important to ensure clients receive protection against neglect.
• EPS does not detail investigative procedures in regard to physical abuse, neglect, and cases involving client death for example notifying the coroner’s office of death during the investigation.
• EPS does not develop service plans for every case addressing each problem.
• EPS experiences numerous challenges when doing required duties.

To review the audit in its entirety, visit the Louisiana Legislative Auditor website.

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