Abuse & Neglect

IF YOU SEE OR HEAR SOMETHING, DO SOMETHING!

Call Statewide PA Adult Protective Services:
800-490-9505

WE CAN STOP ABUSE

Abuse and neglect are constant dangers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Autism, children and the elderly. These populations are most likely to experience abuse, neglect and exploitation. Abuse of older adults is one of the most under-recognized and under-reported social problems in the United States. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, adult children are the most frequent abusers of the elderly. Spouses are the second most likely perpetrators. These family members can often be the senior’s only source of support. This makes the victim unwilling or unable to seek help. Other older adults may be too embarrassed, intimidated or confused to get the assistance they need. Most victims are isolated in their homes, which keeps the abusive situation hidden from the community at large.

*The definitions of abuse and exploitation vary from state to state, but they are defined by the National Council on Aging as follows:

    • Physical Abuse — Inflicting, or threatening to inflict, physical pain or injury on a vulnerable person, or depriving them of a basic need.
    • Emotional Abuse – Inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on a vulnerable person through verbal or nonverbal acts.
    • Sexual Abuse — Non-consensual sexual contact of any kind, coercing a vulnerable person to witness sexual behaviors.
    • Exploitation — Illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property or assets of a vulnerable person. Identity theft is also considered a form of exploitation.
    • Neglect — Refusal or failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care or protection for a vulnerable person.
    • Abandonment — The desertion of a vulnerable person by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person.

If you have seen or heard anything that gives you cause to suspect that an adult with a physical or mental disability is a victim of abuse of any kind, please call:

Philadelphia Corporation of Aging’s Older Adult Protective Services Department provides the resources to intervene when an older adult is abused, abandoned, neglected or financially exploited. The department investigates approximately 2,000 reports of abuse and neglect annually.

Older Adult Protective Services provides the resources to detect, prevent, reduce or eliminate:

    • Self-neglect
    • Neglect by a caregiver
    • Physical, sexual or psychological abuse
    • Misuse of the older adult’s money or personal property
    • Abandonment

These services are made possible through the Older Adult Protective Services Act of 1987. Social workers are available 24-hours-a-day to provide intake, investigation, assessment, care planning and crisis resolution. 

  • Call the PCA Helpline at 215-765-9040

Confidential calls to report abuse may be made by anyone, including the older adult in need. Investigators are available 24-hours-a-day 

*From the Special Needs Alliance (https://www.specialneedsalliance.org/blog/recognizing-and-preventing-abuse-neglect-and-exploitation-of-individuals-with-disabilities-and-older-adults/)

If you need help reporting abuse or knowing what your options are, call:

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