What can be done by Adult Protective Services (APS)?
APS can be part of a community’s involvement in aiding a self-neglecting vulnerable adult. With the person’s consent, APS will do everything possible to ensure his or her safety and well-being once the case has been reported and investigated. Some adults may refuse help. This presents a dilemma for anyone trying to help a self-neglecting adult. How do you balance the person’s right to this independence and help make sure he or she is safe and well? There is no easy answer and each case must be treated individually. Help by family, friends, services providers, APS, or health care interventions can be offered but the person has to accept that help. APS can’t remove a person from his or her home against their will or force them to accept help. Because of this, APS staff and law enforcement are sometimes stopped from providing help to people who need it. APS can intervene without the consent of the vulnerable adult only if all other avenues have been exhausted, the person is found incompet
