Elder Abuse: Where to Report and What Happens Next

For immediate danger or a medical emergency, call 911 if you can do so safely. An online report, directory search or voicemail is not an emergency response. If you are calling from another location, explain where the person needing help is.

For suspected abuse, neglect, self-neglect or exploitation in the community, contact the APS agency serving the adult’s location. Age, disability, vulnerability and jurisdiction rules vary. NAPSA’s directory is a starting point; confirm instructions on the responsible agency’s official site.

For a nursing home or assisted living concern, an ombudsman can help advocate for the resident. A State Survey Agency or applicable licensing agency handles regulatory complaints. For financial fraud, contact the payment provider promptly and use the DOJ hotline for help with reporting. These services have different roles; one referral does not mean every necessary report has been made.

Possible concerns include unexplained injuries, fear or withdrawal, missed essential care, an unsafe living situation, pressure over money or changes in spending that the person cannot explain. Abuse can involve physical or sexual harm, intimidation, isolation, neglect, abandonment or financial exploitation. It can occur at home or in a care setting.

A sign alone does not prove abuse or identify who caused it. Changes in health or behavior may also need medical assessment. Describe what you observed, what the person told you and what you do not know. You do not need to investigate the case yourself before raising a concern.

Population statistics cannot diagnose an individual situation. For example, WHO’s widely quoted “1 in 6” estimate concerns adults aged 60 and older in community settings across multiple countries; it is not the proportion of U.S. nursing-home residents experiencing abuse.

When it is safe, ask to speak privately and explain a specific concern without blaming them. An optional opening is: “I’m worried about what happened. What would help you feel safer, and is there a safe way for us to stay in touch?” Listen to their goals and concerns about retaliation, housing, care or money.

Ask about communication needs, including language, hearing, vision or other accommodations. Do not treat age or a disability as proof that the person cannot express preferences. Avoid making promises of secrecy that conflict with your reporting duties.

If a caregiver or family member monitors devices, accounts or messages, plan a safer way to contact services. Private browsing does not hide activity from every form of monitoring. Sudden account changes or removing access may be noticed; seek help planning changes and preserving evidence.

Give the adult’s location, approximate age if known, immediate needs, communication needs and a way the agency can safely reach them. Describe what happened, when, who was involved and why you are concerned. Separate direct observations from information someone else gave you. State uncertainty rather than filling gaps with guesses.

Ask whether this agency covers the location, person and setting. You can ask how to report even if details are missing. For an urgent threat, use emergency services rather than waiting to assemble records. Do not confront a suspected abuser or enter accounts or property without authorization to gather evidence.

If keeping notes is safe, record the agency, date, report or reference number if supplied, and the follow-up instructions. Ask how to provide additional information or a change in risk. This is a preparation checklist, not a substitute for the agency’s required report or any professional reporting duty.

APS screens reports against its eligibility and jurisdiction rules. A report may be accepted, referred elsewhere or declined. Acceptance does not guarantee a particular service, immediate visit, removal from a home or prosecution. Response practices vary; ask the local agency what to do if danger increases.

If APS cannot take the report, ask for the reason and the appropriate next contact. Provide relevant facts you omitted, such as current inability to obtain food or medicine, without changing the account to fit a category. Seek emergency help for immediate danger.

Privacy rules can limit what APS tells a reporter. No update does not prove nothing happened. Report significant new harm or worsening conditions through the agency’s process. Ask about a supervisor or review process if you believe the intake decision missed important information; a different outcome is not guaranteed.

An older adult may choose to decline help. A choice you disagree with does not by itself establish incapacity. The adult’s understanding, communication, decision-making abilities and applicable law matter; a family member should not assume authority simply because they are worried.

Ask APS, a health professional or a qualified lawyer about assessing capacity for the particular decision, supported decision-making and the least restrictive options. Emergency interventions and court authority have specific requirements. Neither “APS can always force a move” nor “nothing is possible until a court declares incapacity” is a safe general rule.

Keep offering practical support the adult wants where safe. Discuss appropriate reporting obligations and immediate safety needs with the responsible agency. Do not assume a power of attorney, guardianship or a relative’s request automatically permits taking over every decision.

For a nursing-home care or conditions complaint, Medicare directs people to the State Survey Agency. CMS provides state contact links. A Care Compare facility rating is not itself a submitted complaint. For assisted living or another residential setting, confirm which state licensing agency regulates that facility; do not assume every Medicare nursing-home rule applies.

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman program works to resolve residents’ concerns and advocate for their wishes. Its investigation supports complaint resolution; it does not replace the regulator’s or law enforcement’s determination of whether a violation occurred. Ask about consent and disclosure rules, including the limited procedures when the resident cannot communicate consent.

Describe the resident, facility, dates, actual concern and immediate risk. Ask how to report concerns about retaliation and what follow-up information can be shared. For a suspected crime, consider the appropriate law-enforcement report as well. A complaint does not guarantee a transfer, financial recovery or an immediate change in staffing.

If a payment may be fraudulent, contact the bank, card issuer, payment app or other provider using a trusted number or its official app or website. Explain accurately whether the transaction was unauthorized or you were tricked into authorizing it. Ask about reversal, stopping pending transfers, account protection and applicable claim deadlines. Recovery is not guaranteed.

Keep transaction details and messages if safe and lawfully available. Do not send more money to someone promising guaranteed recovery. For identity misuse, the FTC’s guidance links to IdentityTheft.gov and recovery steps. A fraud report does not automatically reverse a payment or resolve every account problem.

If you are helping another adult, ask for their participation or confirm your legal authority. A trusted contact, joint account holder, power-of-attorney agent and court-appointed guardian are different roles. Do not move their money into your own account or sign documents on their behalf merely because you are concerned. Ask a qualified adviser about safeguards and the authority you actually have.

The National Elder Fraud Hotline, 833-372-8311, is a free DOJ Office for Victims of Crime resource for financial-fraud concerns involving adults age 60 and older. Its published hours are Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Eastern, except some holidays. It is not an emergency line.

Case managers help callers identify reporting channels and other resources. The hotline does not investigate crimes and cannot guarantee that an agency will investigate or that money will be recovered. It is not an FBI investigative hotline. A person helping an older adult may also call for guidance.

OVC says callers may remain anonymous, but staff have mandatory-reporting duties for certain abuse or immediate safety risks. Ask about privacy before sharing sensitive details. Be alert to impersonators demanding money or personal information; use the published number to reach the service.

Mandatory reporting depends on the jurisdiction, the adult and setting, your role, the suspected conduct and the applicable law. Check the responsible state agency’s instructions for whom to notify, how quickly, and whether a written follow-up is required. Telling a supervisor or an ombudsman may not satisfy your own reporting duty.

One federal rule, 42 USC 1320b-25, concerns covered individuals at long-term care facilities within its funding and coverage provisions. It requires reporting reasonable suspicion of a crime to HHS and local law enforcement: immediately and no later than two hours after forming the suspicion when serious bodily injury results; otherwise no later than 24 hours. Coverage includes specified owners, operators, employees, managers, agents and contractors; the statute includes an annual determination and notification tied to at least $10,000 in covered federal funds during the preceding year.

Separately, 42 CFR 483.12(c) requires covered nursing facilities to report specified allegations. Its two-hour rule applies when the allegation involves abuse OR serious bodily injury; the 24-hour provision applies when neither is present. It also requires investigation, protection against further potential harm and reporting investigation results. These are not universal deadlines for every member of the public, and they are not a reason to delay emergency help.

Ask about reporter identity, confidentiality, retaliation protections and any conditions on immunity. Do not assume every report is anonymous or that good-faith protection means you cannot be sued. ACL’s APS regulations have a full-compliance date of May 8, 2028; their implementation should not be presented as a guarantee of identical response times everywhere today.

The Eldercare Locator connects older adults and caregivers to local services such as aging agencies, care resources and legal assistance. Call 800-677-1116; USAging, which administers the service, lists call-center hours of Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Eastern. The Locator website also offers other contact options. A referral is not a booking, funding award or APS report.

Ask the receiving program about service area, eligibility, costs, waiting lists, language access and what it directly provides. For a legal problem, explain the actual issue and deadline and confirm whether a lawyer has accepted representation. A protective-order request, power-of-attorney concern, eviction or account dispute may require different help.

For caregiver support or respite, ask what arrangements are available and who will provide necessary care during a break. Support can help with care needs; it does not excuse abuse or replace an urgent report.

After contacting a service, confirm which concern it received, whether another agency needs a separate report, and how to follow up safely. Keep any reference number and a factual note only if it is safe to do so. Do not publish the adult’s records or location to try to get a response.

Ask the adult what support they want and arrange an appropriate way to check in. If the situation changes, provide the new facts to the responsible service. Immediate danger requires emergency help even if an earlier report is pending.

This website provides general information. It does not receive abuse reports, investigate allegations, decide capacity or arrange emergency care. Use the official contact routes above for those needs.