Any person who has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult has suffered abuse, neglect or exploitation must report it to Adult Protective Services (APS).  In Kentucky, reporting is mandatory for both citizens and professionals alike.  Failure to report suspected abuse is a Class B Misdemeanor.

Abuse – the infliction of injury, sexual abuse, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment that results in physical pain or injury, including mental injury.
 
Neglect – a situation in which an adult is unable to perform or obtain for himself or herself the goods or services that are necessary to maintain his or her health or welfare, or the deprivation of services by a caretaker that are necessary to maintain the health and welfare of an adult.
 
Exploitation – obtaining or using another person’s resources, including but not limited to funds, assets, or property, by deception, intimidation, or similar means, with the intent to deprive the person of those resources.

 

To reach APS, please call the 24-hour toll-free hotline at 800-752-6200 or 877-597-2331.

Reports to APS may be anonymous or the caller can give their name but ask that their identity not be shared with the victim.

APS is part of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and is responsible for investigating reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of adults eighteen (18) or older who, because of mental or physical limitations, are unable to manage their own affairs.

Upon receipt of a report, APS must notify law enforcement within twenty-four (24) hours of initial findings. 

In addition to investigations, APS can facilitate services to the adults they are investigating.  But APS can not force services.  If an adult refuses services offered, there is nothing further that APS can do. 

The Boone County Attorney’s Office works closely with numerous community partners to coordinate services and protect vulnerable individuals in cases involving complaints of elder abuse.  The Boone County Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meets monthly, and the County Attorney’s Office participates as one of several community partners, working to ensure that appropriate services are provided for every victim of elder abuse in the county.  

Additionally, the Boone County Fiscal Court has created the Boone County Elder Abuse Prevention Task Force.  For more information, please see https://www.boonecountyky.org/news_detail_T6_R385.php.