APS Care Coordination Team Supports Vulnerable Arizonans Experiencing Self-Neglect
Imagine you have an older neighbor who uses a wheelchair and lives alone with limited access to food, water and electricity. You worry about their well-being. Does someone check in on them? You check in when you can but there is no wheelchair ramp and trash cluttered the home. Who do you call? How will they be able to help?
The situation above was the reality for an individual in Yuma earlier this year. While many consider Adult Protective Services (APS) for situations of abuse or neglect from alleged perpetrators, APS can also support vulnerable adults who are facing self-neglect which can be extremely dangerous and occurs far too often within our communities.
The APS Care Coordination Team was established in August 2023 and expeditiously made meaningful impacts statewide for older adults unable to care for themselves. In the case above, the APS Care Coordination Team coordinated necessary services including home repairs, accessibility, and biohazard cleanup of the individual's home. To date, the Care Coordination Team has assisted 151 clients in similar situations.
Before the Care Coordination Team’s inception, APS investigators could only refer individuals experiencing self-neglect to its partners with the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), but many of them did not qualify for AAA services or needed services that AAAs don’t provide. Now with the assistance of grant funding, APS fills gaps by fulfilling requests for vulnerable adults who need services such as biohazards and hoarding services, pest remediation and home modifications throughout the state. Clients must meet criteria based on the assessment that is completed by the APS Investigator working closely with them.
If you suspect a vulnerable adult is experiencing self-neglect, please either file a report online with APS 24 hours a day, seven days a week or by calling 1-877-SOS-ADULT (1-877-767-2385) Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and state holidays, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.