How to Report Nursing Home Abuse in Texas
In Texas, nursing home abuse can be reported in one of three ways. If it is an urgent or emergency situation, you should call the local police or sheriff's department. Otherwise, you can report nursing home abuse (or any abuse of the elderly or children) to the Texas Department of Family and Regulatory Services (DFPS) telephone hot-line at 1-800-252-5400 or you can file a report on the Texas DFPS website (http://www.txabusehotline.org).
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Instructions
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Reporting Nursing Home Abuse in Texas
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Contact your local police or sheriff's department if it is an urgent or emergency abuse situation. This would be defined as situations beyond mild neglect and/or unsanitary conditions where someone's well-being or life is imminently threatened. Do not hesitate to dial 911 if you see this kind of a situation.
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Contact the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at 1-800-252-5400 to report non-urgent abuse. Non-urgent abuse would include all categories of neglect, including unsanitary living conditions, not providing proper medications and/or sufficient, reasonable quality food. You can make an anonymous report but it is best to give your name and contact information if possible so investigators can follow up with you if necessary.
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File a report with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at http://www.txabusehotline.org to report non-urgent abuse. The same types of non-urgent abuse that are discussed above should be included in this report. All reports filed at this website will be read within 24 hours of filing. You can also choose to remain anonymous when you file this report on line.
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Tips & Warnings
It is very important to report nursing home neglect or abuse (or any abuse of the elderly or children) that you witness. In many cases, you might be one of very few people who are aware of the situation and you have a moral responsibility to report it.
In Texas and many other states it is a crime (a Class B misdemeanor) if you witness abuse of the elderly or children and do not report it.
References
- Photo Credit elderly/women/ visitors entering together image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
