Ginny had prepared a talk for us, but given the vocal nature of our staff, it became more of a question and answer period. Here are some insights gleaned.
• APS cannot really help unless the person wants to receive help. There is a fine line between “Right of Self Determination” and “Protecting the Person.” APS is limited in what they can do.
• Funding to APS has been cut drastically. Tangible service funds been cut from $110,000 to $20,000. This money was used to help clean houses and make psychological evaluations.
• Domestic Violence for people over 65, even between spouses, is reportable. Often times, there may be a lack of resources as the cause of stress. Shelters are hard to find. Charges must be made to the police before APS can help. They don’t get a lot of calls.
• What is a public guardian/conservator? They are people appointed by the court to look over the finances of a person. To be conserved means to lose your right to vote, or get married because you are deemed incapable of making your own decisions. This is a very serious thing. Two separate doctors need to deem the person disabled and incompetent.
• When a CSS Intern sees a client in the homes, but their session keeps getting interrupted or controlled by the caregiver/spouse, is that reportable? Privacy Issues is reportable to APS if the client explicitly says she wants her caregiver to leave her alone during her counseling session.
• When crisis counselors call APS, we need to make sure that we are clear about why the caller qualifies for APS services.
• Banks are mandated reporters. The witness financial abuse if they see an older person take out $15,000.
• For our callers, crisis counselors are to make APS reports for new incidents of abuse. Consult with a staff person if you have questions about reporting.
• Hoarding is a very common concern. APS sees animal hoarding and stuff hoarding.
• With Financial Abuse, APS can look through bank records, and loan applications, and other financial documents to help their client. Many older people have accumulated a lot wealth. They may be the victim of con games.
• Drugs and Alcohol abuse for people over than 65 years old is reportable to APS
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