If you have reason to believe that an incapacitated or dependent adult in Maine is being abused, neglected, or exploited please immediately notify Adult Protective Services.
How to report abuse, neglect or exploitation:
If you have an emergency, please call 911.
Option 1:
Call 1-800-624-8404 or 207-287-1234
TTY In State, Maine Relay 711
TTY Out-of-State (after hours) 207-287-3492
Option 2:
Fill out the online APS Reporting Form
What is Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation?
Abuse
may include:
- Unreasonable confinement
- Unnecessary or unsafe restraint
- Sexual abuse
- Emotional or verbal abuse (including harassment, threats, and intimidation)
Neglect
may include:
- A caregiver failing to provide care, food, shelter, or clothing.
- A caregiver failing to provide supervision or abandoning the incapacitated or dependent adult.
- Self-neglect - if an incapacitated or dependent adult is unable to care for their own well-being or meet their basic needs due to impairment.
Exploitation
may include:
- Financial exploitation, such as wrongfully taking or using the adult’s property or resources
- Financial frauds or scams
- Medication theft
- Sexual exploitation
Who does Adult Protective Services serve?
Incapacitated Adults
An incapacitated adult is anyone 18 years old or older who:
- is unable to receive and evaluate information
- is unable to make or communicate decisions, even with supportive services, technological assistance or supported decision making.
APS petitions for Public Guardianship and/or Conservatorship of incapacitated adults when all less restrictive alternatives have failed.
Dependent Adults
A dependent adult is an adult who has a physical or mental condition that substantially impairs their ability to adequately provide for their daily needs. This includes:
- A resident of a nursing home or an assisted living facility
- A person who receives services because of a disability, including a developmental disability or a brain injury
- A person who is wholly or partially dependent upon another person for care or support due to significant limitations in mobility, vision, hearing, or emotional or mental functioning (22 M.R.S. § 3472).