Harrisburg, Pa. – In response to Governor Wolf’s Executive Order on protecting vulnerable populations, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging released its study on the impact of financial exploitation of older adults.
The findings of this study reinforce the urgent need for the General Assembly to update the Older Adults Protective Services Act (OAPSA) to strengthen protections against financial exploitation of older adults.
The study included an independent audit of 446 case files from 10 Area Agencies on Aging covering 14 counties containing the largest number of substantiated financial exploitation cases during the fiscal year 2017-18. The audit examined the types of financial exploitation that occurred, the combined amount lost, and the financial impact of these losses on the victims, the economy and the commonwealth. The study also reviewed financial exploitation studies conducted by three other states, as well as academic literature published on the topic.
Continue Reading on North Central PA