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Elder Abuse Prevention & Awareness

Pursuant to Section 721 of the Older Americans Act, the Iowa Department on Aging administers the Elder Abuse Prevention & Awareness Program to address the problem of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation in Iowa. This program works to provide education and develop programs and policies that can prevent elder abuse in any of its forms, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, financial exploitation, denial of critical care and self-neglect.

To meet this goal, the Department distributes funds to the Area Agencies on Aging to employ elder rights specialists who are trained to assist individuals whose safety or well-being is at risk; counsel families who are concerned about the safety or well-being of a loved one; develop personalized intervention plans to reduce identified risks; and provide information about and referrals to appropriate protective services agencies.    

Report Elder Abuse

In the case of an emergency or life-threatening situation, call 911

For Individuals Living in the Community

For Individuals Living in a Long-Term Care Facility or Assisted Living Program

EAPA State Clearinghouse

The Elder Abuse Prevention & Awareness State Clearinghouse serves as a single location point for the general public, medical professionals, financial institutions, law enforcement professionals, aging network partners and other stakeholders to find information and resources related to elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, including how to recognize elder abuse and prevent it from occurring.

Training of Dependent Adult Abuse Mandatory Reporters

The Iowa Department on Aging offers an online Train-the-Trainer module for individuals wishing to become certified trainers of dependent adult abuse mandatory reporters, as well as a curriculum approved by the Iowa Department of Public Health for trainers to utilize when educating mandatory reporters of dependent adult abuse.

PLEASE NOTE:

Effective July 26, 2017, Iowa Administrative Code 17-15.20(231) will be rescinded to eliminate the mandatory reporter training provided by the Iowa Department on Aging and the requirement that individuals utilizing the curriculum be certified. While the Department will no longer be providing a curriculum, mandatory reporters are still responsible for maintaining a five-year certificate of mandatory reporting with an approved curriculum through the Iowa Department of Public Health. For a listing of already approved curricula, visit http://www.idph.iowa.gov/abuse-ed-review.