Abuse Reporting
Reporting Abuse
- By law your identity is kept confidential.
- Call 262-605-6646 or 800-472-8008 during the day; evenings and weekends call 262-657-7188.
- A staff member will listen to your concerns.
- An APS worker will assess the situation and offer options. If the person accepts help, he or she is linked to services.
- Remember, a competent adult has the right to decline assistance.
- If alleged abuse is confirmed, appropriate legal action is pursued.
Do’s
- Maintain close ties with impaired friends, neighbors and relatives.
- Examine closely your ability to provide long-term, in-home care; explore alternative sources of care.
- Ask for sources of help and use them.
- Recognize that many forms of abuse and mistreatments are crimes.
- Contact Adult Protective Services if you suspect adult abuse in your family or community.
Don’ts
- Offer personal home care unless you thoroughly understand and can meet the demands, responsibilities and costs involved.
- Ignore your limitations and over extend yourself when caring for an impaired adult.
- Hamper the impaired adult’s independence or intrude unnecessarily on the impaired adult’s privacy.
- Ignore signs of abuse in the community because you aren’t related to the suspected victim.
- Neglect reporting suspected abuse for fear of financial or legal responsibility.
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