Letter: Law that aids older adults in need of update

Editor:

For more than 30 years, the Older Adults Protective Services Act, or OAPSA, has served as the cornerstone of Pennsylvania’s system for providing necessary services to protect the health, safety, and welfare of older adults who are at risk of exploitation, neglect, abuse and abandonment. Pennsylvania is home to more than 3 million adults age 60 and older, and there are tens of thousands of seniors 85 and older who require increased support to remain in their homes.

House Bill 1681 protects older adults where they receive care and helps to ensure a properly vetted health care workforce by strengthening the background check process and establishing recurring background checks. HB1681 also addresses the long-overdue, constitutionally mandated update to the employment bans for those seeking to work with care-dependent older adults.

HB 1681 makes important updates to OAPSA to ensure Pennsylvania’s rapidly growing aging population is protected from con-artists, scams, and, unfortunately, family members and caretakers who misuse their trust.

Older Pennsylvanians will continue to remain vulnerable so long as an OAPSA update is prolonged. This bill continues to sit in committee, with no movement noted. I encourage all Pennsylvanians to contact their state representatives and inform them that this updated bill must be enacted in order to maximize protection for our older adults.

Gary Duncan
Chairman, Pennsylvania Council on Aging

Source: Berkshire mont