Lawmakers consider additional funding for Office of Elderly Affairs

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The Office of Elderly Affairs is responsible for tracking and investigating elderly abuse around the state.

Has the governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs come up short in its investigations? Some lawmakers at the State Capitol believe that to be the case.

There were a lot of questions being tossed around at Tuesday’s Audit Advisory Council meeting at the State Capitol covering all sorts of topics, but specifically elderly abuse.

One of the first things Governor John Bel Edwards did when he first took office was move elderly protective services from LDH and into his office.

They said they did so at the request of elder care advocates back in 2012.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, our investigative team showed us some of the unimaginable treatment elderly folks in nursing homes experienced.

“I mean look, I think they’re working hand-in-hand with the auditors. They didn’t try to shake the responsibilities at all and they’re willing to move forward working with the agencies and the legislature in making sure that we do the right thing for our seniors,” said Rep. Edmond Jordan (D).

The Office of Elderly Affairs says more money can always help but the state should also look at more ways of being innovative.

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