Pennsylvania Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor speaks during a news conference at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, announcing the findings of a performance audit of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. The audit examined the department’s oversight of elder abuse investigations conducted by Area Agencies on Aging.
HARRISBURG — A new state audit found significant weaknesses in Pennsylvania’s oversight of elder abuse investigations and training for front-line protective services staff. Auditor General Timothy DeFoor released the findings Wednesday and said, first of all, their monitoring system falls woefully short.
“Pennsylvanians need to know the Department of Aging’s CAPE monitoring system has many flaws and weaknesses. We found CAPE is not effective at assessing if AAAs are meeting their legal obligation to detect when older adults are at risk of harm and mistreatment.”
He said the report found problems with staff training oversight, and other numerous other key protective activities. AG DeFoor says the state needs stronger accountability to help ensure older Pennsylvanians are properly protected. The audit examined how the Department of Aging monitors investigations handled by 52 Area Agencies on Aging.
