Elder Abuse
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.
- Report Elder Abuse: 855-444-3911
- Elder Abuse Resources: 800-24-ABUSE (22873)
- Vulnerable Adult Incident Report
- Elder Abuse Task Force
Warning Signs of Elder Abuse/Neglect/Exploitation
Physical Signs
Dehydration or unusual weight loss
Missing medication or medical assistive devices
Unexplained injuries or sores
Unsanitary living conditions or poor hygiene
Unattended medical needs or missed appointments
Emotional Signs
Unusual changes in behavior or sleep patterns
Withdrawal from normal activities
Isolation from friends or family
Increased anxiety or fear
Hesitance to speak in presence of "caregiver"
Financial Signs
Unpaid bills (elder adult receives foreclosure warnings, electricity is shut off)
Unusual changes in spending patterns (increases in ATM withdrawals, checks made out to cash or written out of order)
Missing household items (cherished heirlooms, expensive tools, or other valuable items)
Unexpected changes in wills or property deeds (property deeded/will changed to benefit "new friend")
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)
- National Crime Prevention Council Video on Elder Abuse
- Protecting Seniors image
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.
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
- Adult Protective Services
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
517-373-9196
- Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman
866-485-9393 or 517-827-8040
- Office of Recipient Rights
800-854-9090
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
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Copyright 2021 State of Michigan