Report Elder Abuse
With 450,00 new cases of Elder Abuse reported every year it is imparative that ALL cases be reported to your local Adult Protective Service agency. The first agency to respond to a report of elderly abuse, in most states, is Adult Protective Services (APS). Its role is to investigate abuse cases, intervene, and offer services and advice. Again, the power and scope of Adult Protective Services varies from state to state. However, every state has at least one toll-free elder abuse hotline or helpline for reporting elder abuse in the home, in the community, or in nursing homes and other longterm care facilities. In addition, information and referrals are also available from the national Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116.
The Domestic Violence Response Unit investigates all felony arrest cases involving abuse and/or neglect committed against a person 65 years or older or a dependent adult between the ages of 18 and 64. The criteria for elder abuse cases include those relationships listed for domestic violence as well as parent/child, grandparent/grandchild and elder/paid or licensed caregiver.
The DVRU Inspectors conduct a thorough investigation and present each case to the District Attorney for a decision on criminal charges
Non-arrest and misdemeanor arrest elder/dependent care cases are handled in the same manner as domestic violence incidents.
The DVRU maintains a close liaison with the District Attorney’s office, the Probation Department, Parole, the Family Violence Project and Adult Protective Services in order to accurately assess the seriousness of each case and provide maximum advocacy services to the victim.
If you are not in a position to help an elder personally, you can volunteer or donate money to the cause of educating people about elder abuse, and you can lobby to strengthen state laws and policing so that elder abuse can be investigated and prosecuted more readily. The life you save down the line may be your own.
