Vulnerable Adult/Adult Protection
DEFINITIONS
A vulnerable adult is someone who:
- Is 18 years of age or older, AND
- Is dependent on institutional services (nursing home, hospital, home health, licensed residential facilities such as group home or foster care), OR
- Has a physical, mental, or emotional infirmity or dysfunction that requires help in caring for and protecting themselves
Maltreatment
- Abuse
- Physical or Emotional: conduct, intended or not, that produces physical or emotional pain or injury
- Verbal: Words or gestures that threaten, harass, disparage, or humiliate
- Sexual: Violation of criminal sexual conduct or prostitution statutes, or sexual contact between a facility staff person and a resident or client of that facility
- Personal Exploitation: Forcing a vulnerable adult to perform services for the advantage of another
- Neglect: Failure of a caregiver to provide necessary food, clothing, shelter, health care or supervision
- Self Neglect: Absence of necessary food, clothing, shelter, health care, or supervision
- Financial Exploitation:
- A person with legal authority makes unauthorized use of the vulnerable adult's resources, resulting in a detriment to the vulnerable adult
- A person without authority uses the financial resources of a vulnerable adult, regardless of detriment
HOW TO REPORT VULNERABLE ADULT MALTREATMENT
- Call Blue Earth County Human Services at 507-304-4319 and ask to make a vulnerable adult report. After hours a report can be made by calling 507-625-9034. A report needs to be made to the county where the incident of maltreatment occurred.
- Be prepared to provide as much information as possible, such as
- The name and address of the vulnerable adult
- The name and address of the caregiver
- The name and address of the alleged perpetrator
- The nature and extent of the suspected maltreatment
- The date and time of the alleged incident
- After you have made the report, a process of investigation and protection will begin immediately
- You can ask to receive notification of the final investigation report determining whether or not maltreatment occurred
- Reporter's names are confidential and retaliation is prohibited and penalized