Protecting the elderly: the Louisiana legislature's response to an aging population

The fastest growing segment of the American population embraces those whose age is 75 or older. By the year 2000, 13.1% of the population will be over the age of 65. The Louisiana legislature is responding to this trend by passing legislation designed to protect the elderly from neglect and abuse. This article examines three such laws and the problems typically encountered by those who deal with the elderly in trying to comply with these statutes. This article also examines judicial interpretations of these laws by Louisiana courts and interpretations of similar statutes in other states.