Where Is Elderly Abuse Reported in California

Currently more than 200,000 elderly residents of California are victims of abuse. As the number of senior citizens grows in the next 20 years, it's imperative that family members, the elderly and long-term care facility workers do their part to recognize and report abuse as it occurs. Anyone can report elderly abuse in California, and employees of long-term care facilities are trained to recognize abuse and to report it. This type of abuse is against the law and needs to be reported before it escalates and causes more harm to the elderly victim.

Significance

Nearly half of people aged 65 and older will live in a nursing home in the latter part of their lives, either temporarily or until the end of their lives. With the senior citizen population set to double in the next two decades and the over-80 population as the largest growing segment of California residents, more California residents will be using nursing homes according to the California Attorney General's Office. California is already home to the largest elderly population in the United States; as the population doubles, awareness and prevention of elder abuse will become even more important to the health of Californians.

Features

Elderly abuse in California is handled by separate programs under the California Attorney General Office's Department of Justice. In California elder abuse is policed by the Violent Crimes Unit, which handles abuse of the elderly by hospital or nursing home employees, and includes battery, assault and homicide. This unit also covers sexual abuse of elderly patients in California, including rape. The Facilities Enforcement Team has the running of nursing homes, hospitals and elder resident care facilities under its jurisdiction. This team investigates California elder abuse related to malnutrition, dehydration, elderly hygiene, medical care, mental health needs and adequate staffing for proper elderly care.

Identification

Types of abuse suffered by the elderly in California include neglect and abuse. Neglect can range from a lack of cleanliness or sanitary living conditions to a poor or nonexistent healthy diet. Neglect can lead to unsafe living conditions, and one-third of all California nursing homes were cited for serious and life-threatening issues, according to the California Attorney General's Office. Abuse of elders in California can be physical, emotional, financial, psychological, legal or sexual. Financial abuse of California elderly residents can include Medi-Cal fraud, identity theft, investment scams, bogus investment planning or abuses of a power of attorney.

Types

Elderly abuse which has created an emergency medical situation needs to be reported to 911. Any type of elder abuse including in California can be reported to local law enforcement, including the district attorney or the police (see Resources). Contact the D.A. for financial abuse. Financial or Medi-Cal abuse can be reported to the California Office of Attorney General by calling 1-800-722-0432 (see Resources) or by sending a letter to the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud Elder Abuse, P.O. Box 944255, Sacramento, CA 94244-2550. Report elder abuse in a California nursing home by calling the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at 1-800-231-4024 (see Resources).

Size

According to data by the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, more than 132,000 elderly people a year are abused while under the care of a California nursing home. The California Department of Justice reports that approximately one in 20 elderly persons in California is a victim of neglect or abuse. The number of complaints of elderly abuse in California received in one year (2001-02) was 4,909, according to the California Department of Aging's Long-Term Care Ombudsman's Office.

Resources

• California District Attorneys Association
• California Attorney General's Office
• California Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program