We investigate all allegations of elder abuse and neglect.

Elder Abuse/Neglect can be intentional or unintentional.

We are the only agency providing this service in Barrington, Hanover, Palatine and Wheeling Townships.

Elder abuse and neglect happens.

Please scroll down to see the different types of elder abuse/neglect.

Following that, you can find out how to report a case of elder abuse/neglect, and what will happen with the information after you report it.

Elder Abuse/Neglect Can Take On Many Forms:

• Emotional Abuse includes being:
  
  • insulted
  • harassed
  • threatened
  • called names


• Financial Exploitation is being forced or persuaded to sign over:
  
  • Money
  • Social Security checks
  • Pension checks
  • Savings accounts
  • Property
  • Victims home
  • Other real estate


• Passive Neglect or Deprivation is being denied:
  
  • food
  • shelter
  • clothing
  • medical care
  • social contact
  • supervision
  • or being forcibly confined or restrained without medical reason


• Physical Abuse includes being:
  
  • handled roughly
  • slapped
  • hit


• Sexual Abuse includes being:
  
  • forced to be sexually intimate

How do I report a case of Elder Abuse/Neglect?

Anyone can report a case of elder abuse in good faith.

The Elder Abuse and Neglect Act protects reporters and case workers from civil or criminal liability. All information will be kept confidential. The reporters name will not be released.

Remember, elder abuse happens and you can help us do something about it.

If you are aware of a possible elder abuse or neglect situation in Barrington, Hanover, Palatine, or Wheeling Township please call our Intake department at 847-253-5500 during our normal office hours.

If you have an after hours, holiday or weekend elder abuse report you can call toll free at 1-866-800-1409.

For callers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability call 1-888-206-1327.

Legislative changes effective January 1, 1999 requires mandatory reporting by designated professionals for older adults who are unable to self-report. (The reporters name is held in strict confidence.)

What happens after I report Elder Abuse/Neglect?

After the report is received by our Intake department, a professionally trained case worker, following Illinois Department on Aging regulations, initiates an investigation.

Using investigative and problem solving techniques, a case worker responds to the need of an older adult who is a victim of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

If abuse or neglect is identified, the case worker works with the victim to determine what services are most appropriate to stop the abuse.

These services may include:

• Adult Day Service
• Advocating for the victim
• Alternative Housing
• Emergency Shelter
• In-Home Care
• Informal Counseling
• Law enforcement intervention
• Legal Assistance
• Limiting isolation
• Money Management
• Petitioning for an order of protection

  After appropriate services are determined, the older person has the right to accept or decline services, unless deemed cognitively impaired.

  Things to keep in mind about ... A victim ... An abuser ... The abuse.

  A victim ...

• May be physically or mentally impaired and dependent on the abuser for care and assistance
• May suffer from more than one type of abuse
• May be reluctant to admit their loved one is an abuser
• May be fearful of reporting abuse, thinking it could lead to further harm, nursing home placement, or total abandonment

  An abuser ...

• Is most often a family member who lives with the victim
• May lose control due to the stress associated with caregiving
• May have an alcohol or substance abuse problem
• May be frustrated or isolated

  The abuse...

• Could be intentional or unintentional by anyone
• Could be caused by economic or emotional dependence of either the victim or the abuser
• Could be accepted by the family and society as a way of life
  
  

  Some examples of Elder Abuse/Neglect:

  Mr. Brown is 78 years old and lives with his son, who is unemployed. The son is in need of money and cashes his father's Social Security checks for his personal use.

  Mrs. Johnson, age 85, lives with her son and large family. When she complains about the children bothering her, the son yells at her and sometimes strikes out at her physically.

  Mrs. Smith, age 70, has Alzheimer's Disease, is incontinent and needs constant supervision. Her daughter, who cannot cope with the situation, ties her mother in a chair for several hours at a time.

  Mrs. Jane, age, 82, lives with her husband. She is bedbound and developed bed sores. Her spouce was not able or did not recognize her increasing need for care and medical attention leading to a passine neglect situation. With intervention, home and medical care was arranged.

  For more information please call our office at 847-253-5500.