Reporting Elder Abuse in Houston, TX: Resources & Options

According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, up to 10 percent of Americans over the age of 65 have been the victims of elder abuse. This points to a serious social issue that communities across the country face. Government agencies have established systems for the report of elder abuse. In Houston, Texas, there are three ways to report elder abuse. First, you should always call 911 in case of an immediate and life-threatening emergency. To report elder abuse that is not immediately life-threatening, you may call the Texas Abuse Hotline, or use the online Reporting Website to file a report electronically.

Instructions

Reporting Website

• 1

  Prepare all known information about the victim of abuse, the abuser, and any injuries or evidence that have resulted from the abuse. Potentially useful information includes birth dates, home addresses, phone numbers, medical information and the names of related family members.

• 2

  Click on the link in the Resources section to be re-routed to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services' Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation Reporting System.

• 3

  Create a user account by clicking on the "Create an Account" tab at the top left of the page. The user account helps to keep your information confidential.

• 4

  Fill out a report of the abuse, complete with all required fields of information about the situation that you have witnessed.

• 5

  Wait for the confirmation email that will confirm that your report has reached the appropriate processing agency.

Texas Abuse Hotline

• 6

  Prepare all known information about the victim of abuse, the abuser, and any injuries or evidence that have resulted from the abuse. See Step 1 of the Reporting Website section for examples of useful information.

• 7

  Call 1-800-252-5400 to reach the Texas Abuse Hotline and report elder abuse.

• 8

  Give information about the incident(s) of elder abuse to the hotline operator.