New Hotline Launched to Protect Vulnerable Adults

You can now report neglect, abuse, and exploitation much more readily thanks to a new easy-to-remember 24-hour Adult Protective Services hotline. The Delaware Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD) announced the launch of the new hotline today, which allows you to make a simple call to connect with free, voluntary services, and resources that could save a life. You should call 888-APS-4302 if you suspect the occurrence of any of the following forms of harm (List from the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services press release):

• Physical abuse – inflicting physical pain or injury on a senior
• Sexual abuse – non-consensual sexual contact of any kind
• Emotional abuse – inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on a vulnerable adult through verbal or nonverbal acts
• Neglect – the failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection for a vulnerable adult
• Self-neglect – the failure of a person to perform essential, self-care tasks and that such failure threatens his/her own health or safety
• Exploitation – the illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a vulnerable adult for someone else’s benefit
• Abandonment – desertion of a vulnerable adult by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person
• Additional forms of harm – mistreatment, intimidation, manipulation or coercion