How to Report Elder Abuse: Who to Call and What Happens

To report elder abuse, call 911 if the person is in danger right now. Otherwise, report it to your local Adult Protective Services (APS) office.

If the abuse happened in a nursing home, also contact the state licensing agency or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. For a home care agency, also report to the state licensing agency. Most states let you report to APS without giving your name.

How to Report Elder Abuse, Step by Step

Start with the person's safety, then report to the agencies that investigate and license caregivers. Use every step below that fits what happened.

1. Call 911 for immediate danger. If the older adult is hurt, threatened or at risk right now, call 911 first.
2. Report to Adult Protective Services. Every state has an APS program, usually run by county or state social services. Find your local office through the Eldercare Locator or by calling 1-800-677-1116.
3. Add state contacts for a facility. For a nursing home, also file with the state health department or licensing agency. Then contact your state's Long-Term Care Ombudsman, which takes complaints for residents.
4. Add the licensing agency for home care. If a worker from a home care or home health agency is involved, report the agency to the state body that licenses it. In Texas, that is the Health and Human Services Commission. In Florida, the Agency for Health Care Administration licenses home health agencies and nurse registries.
5. Add financial contacts for money abuse. If money or property was taken, call the bank or credit union and local police. For fraud, call the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).

Licensing of home care is set by each state. Some states do not license non-medical home care at all. If yours does not, report a non-medical aide to APS. Operating without a required license violates state law, and you can report it to the state health or licensing agency.

Who to Call for Each Situation

The right contact depends on where the abuse happened and what kind of harm it caused.

The Eldercare Locator is a service of the U.S. Administration for Community Living. Bank staff can also report suspected exploitation. Under the Senior Safe Act (2018), eligible bank and financial-firm employees trained under the act are immune from liability when they report suspected exploitation of a senior in good faith.

What to Say in the Report

A useful elder abuse report answers five questions: who, what, when, where, and whether the person is in danger now. Have these details ready before you call.

• Who: The older adult's name, age and address. Add the name of the person or business you suspect, such as the aide, the home care agency or the nursing home.
• What: What you saw or were told. Elder abuse includes physical, emotional or psychological, and sexual abuse, plus neglect, abandonment and financial exploitation.
• When: Dates and times, even approximate ones.
• Where: The home, facility or bank involved.
• Current danger: Whether the person has food, water, medication and supervision today.

Describe signs of neglect in plain terms. Common signs include pressure ulcers (bedsores), unexplained falls or fractures, dehydration, weight loss, poor hygiene, medication errors and untreated infections. Neglect means a caregiver failed to provide food, water, hygiene, medication, supervision or medical care.

Write down the date of your call, the name of the person who took it, and any case number.

Reporting Elder Abuse Anonymously

Most states let you report elder abuse to APS without giving your name. If you want to stay anonymous, say so at the start of the call. Keep your own notes of what you reported and when.

Different duties can apply to some callers. Many states make certain professionals, such as health care workers, mandated reporters. If you work in health care, your state may require you to report.

What Happens After a Report

After a report, APS may investigate abuse, neglect or exploitation. If the danger grows while you wait, call 911.

A complaint to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman goes to an advocate for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Every state has an ombudsman program under the federal Older Americans Act. The National Consumer Voice runs the state directory at ltcombudsman.org.

State health departments inspect nursing homes. For homes that take Medicare or Medicaid, inspection results and deficiency citations are published on Medicare's Care Compare. Federal rules require those homes to keep residents free from abuse and neglect (42 C.F.R. § 483.12). The same rules require them to prevent bedsores unless clinically unavoidable (42 C.F.R. § 483.25(b)(1)).

A report also creates records. An APS report, police report or state inspection finding can later serve as evidence in a civil claim. A wrongful death claim is separate from any criminal case and can be brought whether or not anyone is charged.

Evidence to Keep for a Later Claim

Start saving records the day you make the report. These records commonly matter in an elder abuse claim:

• Photos of injuries and living conditions, with dates.
• Medical and hospital records.
• The agency's or facility's care plan and its visit or shift logs.
• Medication records and incident reports.
• APS or police reports, plus state inspection or licensing findings.
• Texts and emails with the caregiver, agency or facility.
• Bank records, for financial abuse.
• Names of witnesses.

Keep the nursing home's admission papers as well. Under 42 C.F.R. § 483.70, a nursing home that takes Medicare or Medicaid cannot require an arbitration agreement as a condition of admission. A resident can rescind a signed arbitration agreement within 30 calendar days. Assisted living agreements fall outside that federal rule, and enforceability depends on the document and state law.

For money taken, save statements showing transfers, new account owners or checks the older adult did not write. If an agent under a power of attorney is involved, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) publishes guides for agents. Read more about elder financial abuse claims.

When Reporting Is Not Enough

A report brings in an agency, while compensation for injuries, medical bills or stolen money comes through a civil claim. The older adult can sue. So can a court-appointed guardian or conservator, or an agent under a power of attorney. After a death, the estate's personal representative brings a survival claim, and the family can bring a wrongful death claim.

The employer can be part of the case. A home care agency or nursing home is generally liable for an employee's negligence on the job. It can also be directly liable for negligent hiring, training, supervision or retention, such as skipping a background check. See how these claims work against a negligent home care agency or in a nursing home neglect lawsuit.

Some states add remedies. California's elder abuse act lets a court award attorney fees for proven physical abuse or neglect (Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15657). That requires clear and convincing evidence and proof of recklessness, oppression, fraud or malice. Florida lets an abused, neglected or exploited vulnerable adult sue for damages, with attorney fees available (Fla. Stat. § 415.1111).

Deadlines apply. Measured from the date of death, wrongful death deadlines are 1 year in Tennessee, 2 years in California, Texas and New York, and 3 years in Massachusetts and Minnesota. These can change, so review the wrongful death statute of limitations guide and confirm your state's deadline with a lawyer. If licensed nurses made the care decisions, medical malpractice rules may add expert requirements, caps and different deadlines.

An elder law attorney usually handles planning, such as wills, Medicaid and guardianship. An elder abuse lawyer is a litigator who sues for damages. Elder abuse lawyers usually work on a contingency fee, with no fee if there is no recovery. The elder abuse claims hub covers each type of case.

You can describe what happened and get matched with a lawyer who handles elder abuse cases, free and with no obligation to hire.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you anonymously report elder abuse?

Call your local APS office and tell the intake worker at the start that you do not want to give your name. Most states let you report abuse to APS without giving your name. You can find the local office through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116. Many states make certain professionals, such as health care workers, mandated reporters.

What evidence do you need to prove elder abuse?

Useful evidence includes photos of injuries and living conditions, medical and hospital records, and the care plan and shift logs. Medication records, incident reports, APS or police reports and state inspection findings also matter. For financial abuse, bank records matter, along with texts, emails and witness names. A negligence claim must show duty, breach, causation and damages.

What happens when you report elder abuse?

APS may investigate the report. A complaint to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman goes to an advocate for nursing home and assisted living residents. A civil lawsuit can be brought by the older adult, a guardian or the estate, subject to state law.

What is the first thing that normally happens when a report of abuse has been made?

APS investigates reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation. If the person is in immediate danger, call 911 instead of waiting. Note the date you reported, the agency, and any case number you receive.

Who do I call about abuse in a nursing home?

Call 911 if a resident is in immediate danger. Otherwise, contact your state's Long-Term Care Ombudsman, which you can find through the directory at ltcombudsman.org. You can also report to local APS and to the state health department, which inspects nursing homes.