Who you should contact depends on what’s worrying you. If the person is in immediate physical danger or having a medical emergency, call 911. For concerns about neglect, abuse, or a gradual decline in wellbeing, several agencies exist specifically to help, and most accept reports from anyone, not just family members. Here’s how to match your concern to the right contact.
When to Call 911
Call 911 if the elderly person is experiencing breathing difficulty, chest pain lasting longer than two minutes, uncontrolled bleeding, loss of consciousness, or injuries from a fall or accident. These are true emergencies where minutes matter. If you’re unsure whether the situation is life-threatening, err on the side of calling.
For emotional distress or a mental health crisis that isn’t immediately life-threatening, call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This applies if the person is in severe emotional distress but not at risk of physical harm in the next few minutes.
Request a Welfare Check
If you haven’t been able to reach someone and you’re worried about their safety, you can ask local police to perform a welfare check. This is a non-emergency visit where an officer goes to the person’s home to make sure they’re okay. You don’t need to be a relative to request one.
Call the non-emergency line for the local police department (not 911, unless you believe there’s an active emergency). When you call, provide the person’s exact address, a description of who they are, what they were last known to be wearing if relevant, and the reason for your concern. Be specific: explain that you haven’t heard from them in a certain number of days, or that a neighbor reported something unusual. The more detail you give, the more effectively the officer can respond.
Reporting Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation
Adult Protective Services (APS) is the primary agency for reporting suspected mistreatment of an older adult living in the community. APS investigates four main categories: emotional abuse, physical abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect by others. You can also report if someone appears to be neglecting their own basic needs, like not eating, living in unsafe or unsanitary conditions, or refusing necessary medical care.
Every state runs its own APS program, so the phone number varies. The fastest way to find yours is through the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA) website, which lists contact information for every U.S. state and territory. You can also call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 and they’ll connect you to local services.
You do not need proof to make a report. APS accepts reports based on reasonable suspicion. State laws define reporting thresholds using broad terms like “significant harm” or “failure to provide basic care,” which means you can (and should) report if something feels wrong even if you can’t pinpoint exactly what’s happening. Many states also have mandated reporting laws that require certain professionals, like doctors and social workers, to file reports. But anyone can make a voluntary report.
Financial Exploitation Specifically
If your concern centers on someone being scammed, pressured into giving away money, or having their finances mismanaged by a caregiver or family member, contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311). The line is staffed Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time. Case managers there can help you figure out next steps and connect you with local resources. You can also file a report with APS, since financial exploitation is one of the categories they investigate.
Concerns About a Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility
If the person lives in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or other residential care community, contact your state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. Ombudsmen are advocates whose job is to investigate and resolve complaints related to the health, safety, welfare, and rights of residents. They can look into concerns about inadequate care, unaddressed medical needs, rights violations, or any other problem within the facility.
Ombudsman programs are required to investigate complaints, represent residents’ interests before government agencies, and pursue legal or administrative remedies when needed. You can find your state’s program through the Administration for Community Living website or by calling the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116. Reports can come from residents themselves, family members, friends, or concerned community members.
General Concerns About Wellbeing
Not every worry rises to the level of abuse or emergency. Sometimes you notice that an older person is increasingly isolated, struggling to keep up with meals, having trouble getting to medical appointments, or just slowly declining. For these situations, your best starting point is your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA).
There are more than 600 AAAs across the country, and they coordinate services designed to help older adults remain safely at home. This includes home-delivered meals, homemaker assistance, transportation to medical appointments, and other supports that can make independent living viable. To find your local AAA, call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 or search by zip code on their website at eldercare.acl.gov.
If the situation is complex, or if you live far away and can’t easily check in, a geriatric care manager (also called an aging life care professional) can assess the person’s overall situation. These are typically licensed nurses or social workers who specialize in elder care. They evaluate the person’s physical, emotional, and financial needs, then recommend appropriate services, coordinate care among multiple providers, and act as a point of contact for the family. Fees typically range from $50 to $200 per hour and are not covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or most private insurance.
What Information to Have Ready
Before you make any call, gather as much of the following as you can. You won’t need all of it, but having details on hand makes the process faster and helps the agency respond effectively:
- The person’s full name and address. Include a cross street if you know one.
- Your relationship to them. Friend, neighbor, family member, coworker of a relative.
- What specifically concerns you. Be concrete. “She hasn’t answered the phone in five days” or “there are bruises on his arms that he can’t explain” is more useful than “something seems off.”
- Any known medical conditions or medications. Even a general sense (“she has diabetes” or “he takes heart medication”) helps.
- Names and contact information for other people in their life. Family members, doctors, neighbors, or friends who might have additional context.
- A timeline. When you last saw or spoke to them, when you first noticed changes, how quickly things have progressed.
You can still make a report without all of this. Don’t let incomplete information stop you from reaching out.
Privacy Laws and Family Access
One common frustration is calling a doctor or hospital about an elderly loved one and being told they can’t share any information. Federal privacy law (HIPAA) does restrict when healthcare providers can disclose medical details, but the rules are more flexible than many people realize.
Doctors and hospitals are permitted to share information that is directly relevant to a family member’s, friend’s, or caregiver’s involvement in the patient’s care or payment for care. They can also notify family members of a patient’s location, general condition, or death. The key factor is whether the patient has identified you as someone involved in their care or whether the provider uses professional judgment to determine that sharing is in the patient’s interest. If the elderly person has a healthcare power of attorney or has listed you as an emergency contact, providers generally have a clear basis to communicate with you.
If you’re running into walls, ask the elderly person (if they’re able) to sign a release with their medical providers authorizing communication with you. A durable power of attorney for health care, established while the person still has decision-making capacity, gives a designated person legal authority to access medical information and make decisions if the person later becomes unable to do so.