How to Report Abuse at Assisted Living Facilities

Unfortunately, people that live in assisted living facilities sometimes experience abuse from their caretakers or family members. This abuse may come in the form of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect of basic needs or financial exploitation. If you know or suspect that someone is being abused in an assisted living facility, you should report it as soon as possible to prevent further harm.

Instructions

• 1

  Contact the long-term care ombudsman in the state in which the abuse occurred (see Resources for a list of telephone numbers). Report as much as you can about the abuse, including the name of the person that suffered abuse, the type of abuse, the name of the abuser, if known, and the date the abuse occurred, if known. Provide the name of the assisted living facility along with the telephone number and address, if you can. If you do not have all of this information, you can still call to report abuse. Give all the information you have.

• 2

  Contact the adult protective services agency in the county in which the abuse occurred (you can find those numbers in Resources, as well). Ideally, the long-term care ombudsman would contact them, but in the event that your report slips through the cracks, you may prefer to do it yourself. Provide the same information you provided to the long-term care ombudsman.

• 3

  Call 911 if you think the abused person might be in immediate danger. If you're not sure if he is in immediate danger, go ahead and make the call.