What is Adult Protective Services (APS)

• APS is a 24-hour service program mandated by the State of California and designed to investigate all reported at-risk situations involving elder adults (65 years of age and older) and dependent adults (ages 18-64 who are disabled). 
• APS is a confidential program.  Information received during the course of an investigation is not discussed with anyone except in very specific and limited circumstances described in California's Welfare and Institutions Code Section 15633. 
• APS is a voluntary program, services are offered but may not be imposed.  Any victim of elder or dependent adult abuse may refuse or withdraw consent, at any time, to an investigation or provision of services. 
• APS has no income limits or requirements.

• Your Rights Under Adult Protective Services (PUB 470)
• Sus Derechos Bajo los Servicios de Protección para Adultos (PUB 470sp)

• State of California, Adult Protective Services page

What is a mandated reporter?

A mandated reporter is any person who has assumed full or intermittent responsibility for the care or custody of an elder or dependent adult, whether or not that person receives compensation for the care or custody.  More information and mandated reporting forms can be found by clicking here.

What is Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse or Neglect?

• Physical Abuse – The infliction of physical pain or injury, sexual assault or molestation, or use of physical or chemical restraints for punishment, without or beyond the scope of, a doctor’s order.
• Neglect – The failure to fulfill a caretaking duty, such as assisting in personal cleanliness, providing enough healthy food, clothing, or shelter, or protecting a person from health and safety hazards.
• Financial Abuse – The illegal or unethical exploitation and/or use of an elder or dependent adult’s funds, property, or other assets.
• Abandonment – The desertion of an elder or dependent adult by someone who is a caregiver.
• Abduction – The removal, without the consent of an elder or dependent adult’s conservator, of an elder or dependent adult to another state.
• Isolation – Preventing an elder or dependent adult from receiving mail, telephone calls, or visitors.
• Mental Suffering – The infliction of fear, agitation, or confusion through threats, harassment, or other forms of intimidating behavior.
  
  

What are Some Warning Signs of Abuse or Neglect?

•  Physical abuse
  • Unexplained signs of injury, especially if they appear symmetrically on two sides of the body
  • Broken bones, sprains, or dislocations
  • Report of drug overdose or apparent failure to take medication regularly
  • Broken eyeglasses or frames
  • Signs of being restrained, such as rope marks on wrists
  • Caregiver’s refusal to allow you to see the elder alone
• Neglect
  • Unusual weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration
  • Untreated physical problems, such as bed sores
  • Unsanitary living conditions
  • Unsuitable clothing or covering for the weather
  • Unsafe living conditions
• Mental suffering
  • Threatening, belittling, or controlling caregiver behavior
  • Behavior from the elder that mimics dementia, such as rocking or mumbling to themselves
• Financial abuse
  • Significant withdrawals from the elder’s accounts
  • Sudden changes in the elder’s financial condition
  • Items or cash missing from the senior’s household
  • Suspicious changes in wills, power of attorney, titles, and policies
  • Financial activity the elder or disabled adult couldn’t have done, such as an ATM withdrawal when the account holder is bedridden