2021 Washington State Adult Protective Services Annual Report

Washington State

ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES 2021 Annual Report

Columbia Hills State Park

TABLE OF CONTENTS APS Mission, Vision & Purpose Skagit County

2 | Introduction 3 | 2021 Quick Data 4 | COVID-19 Impact 5 | Regional Allegation Data 7 | Who Does APS Serve?

10 | Services Offered 11 | Alleged Perpetrators 13 | 2021 Successes and 2022 Goals

ALTSA/APS Mission: To transform lives by promoting choice, independence and safety through innovative services.

APS Vision: Vulnerable adults live free of harm with appropriate protective services in place and accountability of perpetrators.

APS Purpose: To transform lives by educating the public, conducting quality investigations, providing advocacy and offering protective services to vulnerable adults.

WELCOME Now that we have successfully made it through another year in COVID, we in APS have taken stock of our accomplishments from the last year while also looking forward to our goals for the remainder of 2022. Even as COVID restrictions and safety measures are relaxed across Washington, our core mission in APS is to protect vulnerable adults from abuse, neglect, selfneglect, abandonment, and exploitation.

Last year, we processed over 66,000 reports, not including information and referral calls, and assigned over 48,000 reports for investigation.

I’m so proud of the commitment and efforts of our APS staff who support our mission in a myriad of ways!

- Kathy Morgan Director, Adult Protective Services Olympia

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APS Reports

[

2020 vs. 2021

]

2021 Investigations 2.42%

66,676

Total APS Reports 2021

0.07%

25.61%

24.81%

65,106

0.59%

Total APS Reports 2020 11.04% 5.30% Mt. Rainier

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16.83% 13.33%

COVID-19 Impact

Protecting Vulnerable Adults Adult Protective Services is dedicated to serving vulnerable adults.

Since the onset of the pandemic: •

We continued in-person investigations with proper protocols in place to protect clients and staff

•

Intake staff continued timely processing and assignment of reports for investigation

•

Partnered with the National Adult Protective Services Association and other states in the development of national campaign materials for adult mistreatment

•

As more and more vulnerable adults were isolated, it was more important than ever to get the message around abuse and neglect out to the public

Protecting our Staff The health and safety of our staff is paramount. To continue to keep staff safe in the field and offices, we: •

Continued telework and utlized virtual platforms for meetings to avoid large numbers of staff in offices at a given time

•

Ensured staff had “go bags” containing PPE and other necessary supplies

•

Provided staff resources and information through all staff meetings and written materials

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2021 Investigations - Regional Data Allegation Group Abandonment Financial Exploitation

Region 2

Region 3

9

8

28

4,445

5,376

6,377

Improper Use of Restraint Mental Abuse

96

104

174

3,039

3,243

4,367

Neglect

2,247

2,704

3,484

950

1,104

1,299

Physical Abuse

1,843

2,322

2,816

Self-Neglect

4,007

5,672

6,012

431

522

577

17,067

21,055

25,134

Personal Exploitation

Sexual Abuse Total Allegations per Region 5

Region 1

*The number of allegations may be greater than the number of investigations as some investigations contain multiple allegations.

Regional Comparison - Allegation Type

7,000

6,377 6,012

6,000

5,000

Number of Allega�ons

5,672

5,376 4,445

4,367

4,007

4,000

3,484

3,243 3,039

2,816

2,704

3,000

2,322

2,247

1,843

2,000

1,299 1,104 950

1,000 9

0

Region 1

28

96 104

8

Abandonment Region 1 Region

Financial Exploita�on

2

431

174

Improper Use Mental Abuse of Restraint

Region 2 Region 3Region 3

Neglect

Personal Exploita�on

Physical Abuse

Self-Neglect

522 577

Sexual Abuse

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Protecting Vulnerable Adults The state of Washington defines a vulnerable adult by law as a person who is: •

60 years of age or older who has the functional, mental, or physical inability to care for himself or herself; or

•

Subject to a guardianship or conservatorship under 11.130 RCW; or

•

Who has a developmental disability as defined under RCW 71A.10.020; or

•

Admitted to any facility; or

•

Receiving services from home health, hospice, or home care agencies licensed or required to be licensed under chapter 70.127 RCW; or

•

Receiving services from an individual provider; or

•

Who self-directs his or her own care and receives services from a personal aide under chapter 74.39 RCW.

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Building a Future We received a report regarding financial exploitation involving hundreds of thousands of dollars that spanned over multiple years.

During this time the individual experienced an acute medical crisis that resulted in a hospitalization and subsequent nursing facility admission. Not having access to the funds they relied on trusted family members to oversee paying of expenses. The funds were diverted by the family to purchase items and pay for personal expenses.

The investigator was able to coordinate with community partners, law enforcement, and gain assistance through a professional guardian to manage the funds.

Alleged Victim Demographic Data

Alleged Victim Gender Not Specified 9%

Alleged Victim Age Number of Alleged Victims (unduplicated count)

9,574 Male 37%

7,983

Female 53%

6,866

6,699

Transgender <0.01%

Primary Languages for

2,221 20% 18-59

23% 60-69

28% 70-79

20% 80-89 Age Range

Did you know that about 20% of all reports in 2021 involved an alleged victim under the age of 60? We combined all reports for individuals 18-59 on this graph.

6%

869

90+

3% Unknown at intake

Alleged Victims 1. English 2. Spanish 3. Korean 4. Russian 5. ASL 6. Cambodian

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Alleged Victim Demographic Data Count of Allegations by Alleged Victim Gender Female

Number of Allegations

Male

Abandonment

Financial Exploitation

Improper Use of Restraint

Mental Abuse

Neglect

Type of Allegation

Personal Exploitation

86% Not in Residential Facility (public spaces, private residences)

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Location of Allegations

Physical Abuse

Self-Neglect

Sexual Abuse

14% Residential Facility

Protective Services Offered •

Information and education

•

Home and Community Services Referral

•

Area Agency on Aging Referral

•

Assistance establishing a payee

•

Communication services

•

Veteran services referral

•

Change in residence

•

•

Domestic violence services coordination

Transportation services referral

•

And more!

•

Mental health services referral

•

Physician referral

•

Legal assistance referral

•

Meals on Wheels

Connecting Supports We received a report of an individual experiencing self-neglect. The individual was living in deplorable conditions, was experiencing significant pain, couldn’t remember when their last meal was, but was refusing medical attention.

The investigator was able to build rapport and get assistance from community partners to get this individual the medical care that was needed and reconnect them with estranged family who were able to provide ongoing support.

In 2021, APS offered 80,930 services.

We continue to expand community partnerships to offer additional services.

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Alleged Perpetrator Demographic Data Total Number of Alleged Perpetrators (unduplicated count)

Alleged Perpetrator Age

74%

69 <18

11

22,448

<1%

2,742

2,389

6%

9%

8%

18-40

41-60

61-80

1,832

Age Range

Alleged Perpetrator Gender

Not Specified 30%

Female 33%

Male 37% 884 3% 81+

Unknown at intake

Transgender <0.01%

According to the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA), alleged perpetrators for financial exploitation tend to be opportunists that prey upon a vulnerable adult. Financial exploitation is the most commonly reported type of vulnerable adult mistreatment and alleged perpetrators are often someone the individual feels they can trust (family member, caregiver, friend, etc.)

Alleged Perpetrator Relationship to Alleged Victim All Alleged Perpetrators are identified by only one type of relationship to the Alleged Victim.

Unknown 15%

Staff or Caregiver 15%

Child 19%

Family Member 15%

Spouse 10%

Other 9%

Household Member 11%

Friend 4%

Guardian 3%

Total AP Rela�onship to AV Percentage 6,312 Child 19% 4,965 Family Member 15% 1,243 Friend 4% 846 Guardian 3% 3,591 Household Member 11% 3,050 *Other Other 9% 3,332 Spouse 10% 5,035 Staff or Caregiver 15% 4,815 Unknown 15% AP = Alleged Perpetrator, AV = Alleged Vic�m Other includes relationships identified as attorne case anager co or er S S e plo ee financial institution la enforce ent legal services neighbor reporter social or er or itness 12

Spirit Lake | Couger, WA

2021 Accomplishments

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•

The training team held 19 APS training academy cohorts and trained over 280 staff.

•

We received federal grant funding for the first time since the Elder Justice Act was passed.

•

We developed forensic interviewing training in partnership with field and headquarters staff and the University of Washington, and rolled out training statewide.

•

We conducted annual regional all-staff roadshows to talk to and hear from our staff around the state.

•

We rolled out new technology to staff, including voice-to-text for laptops and iPhones, scanning equipment, and other tools to assist telework staff and support investigations.

•

We facilitated and conducted over 11 workgroups, pilots, and lean events, including field and headquarters staff.

Goal 1: Retention and Recruitment Recruiting a diverse workforce passionate about serving and protecting the public supports our mission of protecting vulnerable adults and builds trust within our communities. We plan to focus on workforce development, retention and recruitment activities throughout 2022. We will focus on developing tools for hiring supervisors, developing core competencies and working with our human resource partners.

Mt. St. Helens National Monument

2022 Goals

Goal 2: Workforce Training & Support We know that providing appropriate onboarding and training to staff upon hiring increases job satisfaction and reduces turnover. Providing initial and ongoing training and support to staff increases skills and helps staff feel more confident in their work. We will continue to support workforce development through training and opportunities to enhance staff skillsets.

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Mt. Rainier from Tolmie Peak | Mt. Rainier National Park

Learn more at dshs.wa.gov/altsa/aps

Report abuse online at dshs.wa.gov/altsa/reportadultabuse or by phone (877)734-6277