To Whom Can I Complain About Neglect or Mistreatment of An Elder Or Dependent Adult?

To report elder abuse of any can, you can call the California Attorney General’s Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Reporting Hotline at 1-888-436-3600.

For abuse or neglect in a nursing home or other care home, you can file a complaint with the local Ombudsman’s office. Call 1-800-231-4024 to get the location of their local office.

You can file a complaint with the agency that licenses the care home. The Department of Health Services, Licensing and Certification program, licenses nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, group homes and home health agencies. Their telephone number is 1-800-236-9747. Their website is www.dhs.gov/lnc.

The Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, Senior Care Program, licenses residential care facilities for the elderly and assisted living facilities. Their telephone number in Sacramento is 916-657-2592. Their website is http://ccl.dss.cahwnet.gov.

For abuse or neglect anywhere other than a nursing home or long term care facility, you can call Adult Protective Services . Each county is required to have Adult Protective Services Agency, which has a 24-7 hotline for reports of any adult abuse, including elder or dependent adult abuse. In Alameda County, the telephone number is 510-577-3500. For your local number call 1-800-510-2020.

If you are concerned about a parent or elderly family member who lives in a different community, you can contact the local law enforcement agency and request a well-being check.

You should also consult a lawyer. The threat of a lawsuit often gets more response from a nursing home than action by a licensing agency, because the licensing agency can only fine the nursing homes comparatively small fines. Unscrupulous facilities often would rather pay the small fine, or gamble that they won’t be caught by licensing than staff the nursing home appropriately. A lawsuit can be the most effective way to force the nursing home or rest home to staff the facility adequately.