Services
 San Francisco APS Services

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The San Francisco Adult Protective Services Program provides services with the goal to create a stable environment where the individual can safely function without requiring additional intervention from the Adult Protective Service program. Adult Protective Services includes:

• Response to reports of known or suspected abuse or neglect
• Investigations
• Time limited case management and arrangement for delivery of services
• Emergency shelter and in-home protection
• Tangible resources
• Multidisciplinary or Fiduciary Specialist Teams

 What APS Does—Some Examples  

• A 67 year-old man who lived alone was referred to APS because his apartment was roach infested and filled with hundreds of boxes of papers, which were stacked from floor to ceiling. There was only a very narrow walk space through the apartment, the bathroom and kitchen were unusable, large cobwebs and mold covered the walls and ceiling. The client was involuntarily admitted to a hospital for an evaluation because his apartment was "uninhabitable." He was subsequently diagnosed w/paranoid schizophrenia. During his hospitalization it was discovered that client was an untreated diabetic and nearly blind. The hospital treated him for his diabetes and psychiatric disorder and provided eye surgery to correct his vision.

While the client was hospitalized APS attempted to clean the apartment. However, his landlord did not want him returning and blocked the cleanup. He served the client with eviction papers while he was still at SFGH. Legal Assistance for the Elderly’s help was sought to fight the eviction while APS continued to work at getting the apartment cleaned up. Although the client returned home, the eviction case was still pending and the landlord was suing client for damages to the apartment. Legal Assistance for the Elderly successfully settled the case based on the client’s right to reasonable accommodation for his disability. The client was able to remain in his apartment with no rental increase and was not responsible for the damages. Due to the cooperative efforts of APS, In-Home Supportive Services, Legal Assistance for the Elderly, North of Market Senior Services, and Family Service Agency the client continues to live independently and states he is happier, healthier and safer then he has been in years.

• Two elderly siblings were physically threatened and intimidated by a long-term live in friend. The abuser threatened to beat both elders with a flashlight and stab them with scissors. The police were called and they arrested the abuser. They called APS to assist the elders who were severely traumatized by the experience. APS worked with the police to get a temporary emergency protective order issued at the time of the report and made arrangements with the elders to follow-up on more permanent protections for them. Immediately, APS got the locks changed and made an appointment with Legal Services for the Elderly to pursue a permanent restraining order on the abuser. However, the elderly victims later recanted their charges and told the police that the report against the abuser was false.

With much support from APS the elderly siblings admitted they changed their story to protect the abuser from going to jail because they believed he needed mental health treatment. They also disclosed that the abuse had been going on for some time. APS was able to convince the clients that protecting the abuser endangered them and did not help him. They agreed to move ahead with the charges. Working with the police, District Attorney’s Office and Legal Services for the Elderly, APS insured that both a criminal and civil restraining order was in place. Victim’s Witness Program funds were secured to the replace the three broken windows caused by one of the abuser’s outbursts and long-term counseling was arranged for the elderly siblings to work through the emotional trauma caused by the abuse. Currently, the abuser is still in custody.

• Two developmentally disabled sisters in their early thirties were being financially abused and neglected by their aunt. They had lived with their aunt for close to 20 years and she was their conservator and payee for Social Security. However, the aunt was so threatening and verbally abusive to service providers that the Regional Center could not provide services to the clients and SSI had terminated their benefits because of non-cooperation. Moreover, one of the sisters had been diagnosed with leukemia and was not receiving any medical treatment or follow-up. Without ongoing benefits and services, the clients were faced with risk of losing section 8 housing for non-payment of rent and their utility was cut off for non-payment of PG&E bills.

APS worked with the Public Guardian’s Office to terminate the conservatorship granted to the aunt and to appoint PG as the conservator for the clients, and advocated with SSA office and the Regional Center to renew benefits and services that had been discontinued. With court approval, APS facilitated the collaboration of the involved service providers to move the clients to a safe environment. With meticulous planning and coordination between various service providers, the sisters were removed from their abusive aunt and placed in supportive housing. Since their placement the two sisters are doing extremely well. The older sister is currently working part-time and attending day program through the Regional Center. The younger sister is currently receiving medical treatment for leukemia and has improved her health condition enabling her to attend day programs on a regular basis.

• A 73-year-old woman was referred to APS because she was being financially exploited. The abuser was a younger man who ingratiated himself with the client, visiting her, taking her out to fancy restaurants, and buying her flowers. The client was charmed by the abuser. The abuser convinced the client to sign over the deed of her house to set up a life estate, and to purchase an annuity from him. Once she had done this, the abuser had the client sign another deed that ended the life estate and gave all her rights to the property to the abuser. He then proceeded to take approximately $400K from the equity of the house.

APS believed the client was confused and did not understand what documents she had signed. So a neuropsych evaluation was conducted. The evaluation found that the client had a metastatic brain tumor and her cognitive functioning was impaired as a result. Because the client lacked the capacity to understand any complex financial matters the court appointed a conservator for her and APS requested a special litigation attorney be appointed for the client to try to recoup the client’s assets. APS also referred to matter to the SFPD Fraud Unit and the District Attorney’s Office. The abuser was subsequently indicted, the title of house was returned to client, and the abuser paid back all but $50K of money he had taken through equity in client's home.
Emergency Tangible Services    
APS provided 3,167 victims of elder and dependent adult abuse/neglect with emergency tangible services required to insure their safety. These services include (but are not limited to): emergency shelter, emergency in-home protection, emergency food, emergency medication, locks changed, eviction prevention, restoration of utilities, grab bars, lifeline, assistance with moving, legal services (e.g., emergency protective orders), transportation, furniture, bedding supplies, heavy cleaning, pest/rodent removal, neuropsych evaluations, windows repaired, clothing and diapers.

Partnerships/Collaborations--New

 • APS represented DAAS on the Mayor’s Homeless Task Force. Through these meetings significant improvements were recommended for the delivery of services to homeless seniors in SF.      

 • APS participated in the creation of the Financial Abuse Specialty Team (FAST.) This group, comprised of Public Guardian, SFPD Fraud Unit, District Attorney’s Office, City Attorney’s Office, and APS, meets biweekly to provide a coordinated and speedy response to financial elder abuse. APS served as a co-chair for the group.

 • APS worked with The Fannie Mae Foundation, the Services Advisory Committee’s Predatory Lending work group, and Kamala Harris, formerly of the City Attorney’s Office, to develop and implement a plan to alert elders to the dangers of predatory lending and to create a comprehensive system to assist those victimized by predatory lenders.

 • APS participated in the development of the Elderly Case Finding Project. This program encourages paramedics to refer elderly individuals who appear to be in need of assistance to DAAS for help. APS is a partner with the Office on Aging’s Information and Referral Program and the SFFD Paramedics in implementing this project.

 • APS joined the Board of Directors for the California Community Partnership for the Prevention of Financial Abuse (CCPPFA). This group provides training to banks and financial institutions on financial abuse--how to identify it and what to do if you suspect it.

Partnerships/Collaborations--Continuing
 • APS continued to chair Collaborating Agencies Serving Seniors and Adults (CASSA), which is comprised of APS, Public Guardian, MSSP/Linkages, Mental Health, Laguna Honda Hospital and other service providers. This group meets weekly to better coordinate the services provided to our common clients.

 • APS continued to partner with Kaiser Foundation Hospital to better coordinate services between the two agencies and thus improve the quality of care the Kaiser patients receive.

 • APS has been a member of the newly formed Elder Death Review Team.

 • APS served on the Domestic Violence Death Review Team.

 • APS served on the Family Violence Council as a participating member.

 • APS served on the Code Enforcement Task Force.

 • APS participated in the Interdepartmental Elder Abuse Meetings that are convened monthly.

 • APS has been a member of the Consortium for the Prevention of Elder Abuse Steering Committee.

 • APS participated in weekly meetings with IHSS staff and the IHSS Consortium to assist them in working better with clients that are difficult to serve or with clients that have multiple needs for which services may be limited or unavailable.

Grant Partnerships  • APS continued to partner with Geriatric Mental Health, Institute on Aging, Family Service Agency and North of Market Senior Services in a demonstration project, "Partnership, Assessment and Care Management Project." This partnership improves the way we provide care management to the most severely dysfunctional individuals in our community.

 • APS partnered with Goldman Institute on Aging and Bethany Center to provide emergency services to seniors in need of temporary housing.

 • APS continued to partner with the Probate Court in a grant to improve access to the Probate Court for victims of elder and dependent adult abuse.

 • APS continued to participate in the Hartford Grant which has been administered through UCB, SFSU, and SJSU and provided a specialized training curriculum and field work experience for graduate social work students with an emphasis on gerontology.