Elder Abuse

Elder Abuse/Neglecct/Exploitation

  • Panel Hero

Elder Abuse/Neglect/Exploitation

  • Elder Abuse Task Force Image

    More than 73,000 older adults in Michigan are victims of elder abuse. They experience abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The symptoms and treatment of elder abuse are complex and demand a concerted effort to tackle this often unrecognized and unreported social problem. That’s why we brought together dozens of different organizations to work collaboratively to tackle the challenge.​

Warning Signs of Elder Abuse/Neglect/Exploitation

Physical Signs

  • Dehydration icon - yellow scale on purple background

    Dehydration or unusual weight loss

  • Missing medication icon - pill breaking apart on purple background

    Missing medication or medical assistive devices

  • Unexplained injuries in elder abuse

    Unexplained injuries or sores

  • Unsanitary icon - green glasses with white question mark on top on of a purple background

    Unsanitary living conditions or poor hygiene 

  • Unattended medical icon - soap bottle crossed out on top of a purple background

    Unattended medical needs or missed appointments

Emotional Signs

  • Unusual changes icon - moon and three white z's on purple background

    Unusual changes in behavior or sleep patterns

  • Withdrawal icon - blue and white person icon back-to-back on purple background

    Withdrawal from normal activities

  • Emotional icon - person icon with blue rain cloud over head

    Isolation from friends or family

  • Increased fear icon - red brain with a crack in it on a purple background

    Increased anxiety or fear

  • Caregiver icon - person talking icon on purple background

    Hesitance to speak in presence of "caregiver"

Financial Signs

  • Unpaid bills icon- paper with "past due" printed on it on a purple background

    Unpaid bills (elder adult receives foreclosure warnings, electricity is shut off) 

  • Financial Signs - money coming out of a wallet

    Unusual changes in spending patterns (increases in ATM withdrawals, checks made out to cash or written out of order)

  • Missing household items icon - house on purple background

    Missing household items (cherished heirlooms, expensive tools, or other valuable items)

  • Fraud icon - blue pen writing with red ink on purple background

    Unexpected changes in wills or property deeds (property deeded/will changed to benefit "new friend")

  • Large items purchase icon - multiple dollar bills and coins on purple background

    Purchase of large items the elder adult does not use (vehicles when the adult does not drive, timeshare purchases when adult is homebound)

  • *Source material used with permission from the National Center on Elder Abuse

Report Elder Abuse

  • Report Elder Abuse

    Notify the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) Adult Protective Services at 855-444-3911, if you suspect elder or vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurred in:

    • A private residence,
    • An unlicensed setting such as an assisted living facility,
    • An adult foster care home,
    • A home for the aged, or
    • A nursing home where the suspected perpetrator is not an employee of the facility or the resident is on leave from the nursing home.

    If you are a mandated reporter, you must report any suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult to Adult Protective Services by calling 855-444-3911.  A mandated reporter is a person who is employed, licensed, registered, or certified to provide health care, educational, social welfare, mental health, or other human services; an employee of an agency licensed to provide health care, educational, social welfare, mental health, or other human services; a law enforcement officer; or an employee of the office of the county medical examiner.

    For anyone who is not a mandated reporter, you may still report suspected elder or vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation to Adult Protective Services by calling 855-444-3911. To report abuse in a nursing facility, call the Attorney General's Health Care Fraud Division on their statewide hotline, 800-24-ABUSE (800-242-2873).

    Health Care Fraud Division
    P.O. Box 30218
    Lansing, MI 48909
    Email (hcf@michigan.gov)

    PATIENT ABUSE COMPLAINT FORM

  • National Crime Prevention Council Video on Elder Abuse

  • Protecting Seniors image

    Hands of the old woman. Black and White

Abuse, Neglect or Exploitation

  • Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation

    To ensure patient rights are protected, the Health Care Fraud Division reviews, investigates and criminally prosecutes those facilities, employees and individuals who recklessly or intentionally harm citizens entrusted to their care.

    Elder and vulnerable adult abuse, neglect and exploitation are behaviors committed against an elder or vulnerable adult who is unable to protect himself or herself due to a mental or physical impairment or due to advanced age.

    • Abuse is harm or threatened harm to an adult's health or welfare caused by another person.  
    • Neglect is the inability or failure to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, medical care, etc.  
    • Exploitation is the misuse of an adult's funds, property or personal dignity (e.g., humiliation, objectification, degradation, dehumanization) by another person.

    The perpetrators are often trusted family, friends, neighbors or caregivers. This can occur in the person's home, in the home of another person or in licensed settings such as adult foster care, homes for the aged or nursing homes.

    REPORT ELDER ABUSE

Document Abuse

  • Document Elder Abuse

    IMMEDIATELY report incidents, verbally or in writing, in the nursing home to the administrator, the director of nursing, or the charge nurse of the health care facility.

    IMMEDIATELY report applicable situations to Adult Protective Services-MDHHS; the State Police and/or the local police; Attorney General Health Care Fraud Division; Long Term Care Ombudsman; and the Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

    Take photographs, if possible, and make written statements concerning:

    • ​What you observed,
    • When you observed the incident,
    • Who was present, and
    • Any further information that may be of assistance.

Resources

Nursing Home Abuse, Neglect or Exploitation

  • If you suspect abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a resident of a nursing home by another resident or by a nursing home employee notify the following agencies:

    • Attorney General Health Care Fraud Hotline: 800-24-ABUSE (800-242-2873)
    • Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Bureau of Community and Health Systems Abuse Hotline: 800-882-6006
    • Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc.:
      • Developmental Disabilities: 800-288-5923
      • Mental Illness: 800-288-5923
  • Nursing home image

    Nursing home image