Adult Protective Services
Encyclopedia
In the United States
, Adult Protective Services (APS) are social services provided to abused, neglected, or exploited older and/or disabled adults. APS is typically administered by local or state health, aging, or regulatory departments and includes a multi-disciplinary approach to helping victims of elder abuse
. Services range from investigation of mistreatment to legal intervention in the form of court orders or surrogate decision makers such as a legal guardian
.
Many states provide adult protective services to older adults only, such as the case in Ohio where the APS law applies to those 60 and older. Other states provide adult protective services to anyone over the age of 18. APS is intended to assist vulnerable adults such as those with disabilities due to aging, health related issues, or dementia
.
Forms of abuse include physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse. Exploitation can be either financial or material in nature. Neglect can be perpetrated by any caregiver
who has accepted the responsibility of assisting an older or disabled adult. Additionally, many states include self-neglect in their definition of those needing adult protective services. Self-neglect involves an individual's inability to care for themselves due to physical or cognitive deficits.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Adult Protective Services (APS) are social services provided to abused, neglected, or exploited older and/or disabled adults. APS is typically administered by local or state health, aging, or regulatory departments and includes a multi-disciplinary approach to helping victims of elder abuse
Elder abuse
Elder abuse is a general term used to describe certain types of harm to older adults. Other terms commonly used include: "elder mistreatment," "senior abuse," "abuse in later life," "abuse of older adults," "abuse of older women," and "abuse of older men."...
. Services range from investigation of mistreatment to legal intervention in the form of court orders or surrogate decision makers such as a legal guardian
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
.
Many states provide adult protective services to older adults only, such as the case in Ohio where the APS law applies to those 60 and older. Other states provide adult protective services to anyone over the age of 18. APS is intended to assist vulnerable adults such as those with disabilities due to aging, health related issues, or dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
.
Forms of abuse include physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse. Exploitation can be either financial or material in nature. Neglect can be perpetrated by any caregiver
Caregiver
Caregiver may refer to:* Caregiver or carer - an unpaid person who cares for someone requiring support due to a disability, frailty, mental health problem, learning disability or old age...
who has accepted the responsibility of assisting an older or disabled adult. Additionally, many states include self-neglect in their definition of those needing adult protective services. Self-neglect involves an individual's inability to care for themselves due to physical or cognitive deficits.