JUNE SPECIAL FEATURE

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day – June 15, 2025

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is observed each year on June 15 to shine light on the abuse, neglect, and exploitation faced by older adults around the world.

In Illinois, the Adult Protective Services Program (APS) investigates reports of abuse neglect, exploitation, and self-neglect of adults age 60 or older, and adults age 18-59 with disabilities living in the community. APS Case Workers are trained and certified by the Illinois Department on Aging. Local APS Case Workers investigate allegations and coordinate client service referrals to mitigate risk and assure client health, welfare, and safety.

Abuse, neglect, exploitation and self-neglect takes many forms, and in most cases victims are subjected to more than one type of mistreatment. It is the least recognized form of family violence and may include:

• Abandonment - means the desertion or willful forsaking of an eligible adult by an individual responsible for the care and custody of that eligible adult under circumstances in which a reasonable person would continue to provide care and custody. 
• Confinement – restraining or isolating a person for other than medical reasons. 
• Emotional abuse – verbal assaults, threats of abuse, harassment, or intimidation so as to compel the person to engage in conduct from which she or he has a right to abstain or to refrain from conduct in which the person has a right to engage. 
• Financial exploitation – the misuse or withholding of a person’s resources to the disadvantage of the person and/or the profit or advantage of another person. 
• Passive neglect – the failure by a caregiver to provide a person with the necessities of life including, but not limited to, food, clothing, shelter, or medical care, because of failure to understand the person’s needs, lack of awareness of services to help meet needs, or lack of capacity to care for the person. 
• Physical Abuse – causing the infliction of physical pain or injury to a person.
• Self-Neglect - A condition that is the result of an eligible adult’s inability, due to physical or mental impairments, or both, or diminished capacity, to perform essential care tasks that substantially threaten their own health, including: providing essential food, clothing, shelter, and health care; and obtaining goods and services necessary to maintain physical health, mental health, emotional well-being, and general safety 
• Sexual abuse – touching, fondling, or any other sexual activity with a person when the person is unable to understand, unwilling to consent, threatened, or physically forced. 
• Willful deprivation – willfully denying assistance to a person who requires medication, medical care, shelter, food, therapeutic device, or other physical assistance, thereby exposing that person to the risk of harm.

The Adult Protective Services Act provides that people – who in good faith report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, self-neglect or cooperate with an investigation – are immune from criminal or civil liability or professional disciplinary action. It further provides that the identity of the reporter shall not be disclosed except with the written permission of the reporter or by order of a court. Anonymous reports are accepted.

Additional information about the APS program and what the reporter should be prepared to answer to the best of their ability when making a report can be found at https://ilaging.illinois.gov/protectionadvocacy/abuse.html.

Who to Contact

If you know or suspect that someone is being abused, neglected, or exploited living in the community, do not remain silent. Contact the Illinois Adult Protective Services Hotline at (866) 800-1409, available 24/7, 365 days a year.

If the person is a resident of a long-term care facility, and you know or suspect violations of their rights including abuse, neglect, poor care, isolation and lack of choices and meaningful activities, contact the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at the Illinois Senior Hotline at (800) 252-8966.

The APS program does not investigate cases where the individual has fallen victim to scams such as government impersonation, grandparent, home repair, romance or sweepstakes/charity/lottery scams. To learn more about what to do if you or a loved one thinks they have been scammed, and starting a TRIAD in your community, watch the following video at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1XXLh8fNFo/.

Abuse, fraud and waste associated with Medicare and Medicaid should be reported to the Illinois Senior Medicare Patrol at (800) 699-9043.

Additional questions can be answered by East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (800) 888-4456.