Protection Eyed for Vulnerable Adults

By Diana Lamirand

It’s called “dumping.” Indiana Adult Protective Services (APS) investigator Jerry Kiefer says he hates to do it, but some situations leave him with little choice.

Kiefer recalled one case in which he needed to “dump” a 100-year-old woman in a hospital following the arrest of her caretaker nephew on drug charges. Before the arrest, Kiefer said, the nephew took the woman—a successful former L.S. Ayres model—to the cleaners.

“She had a lot of money. He ‘took care of her’ by draining her bank account of nearly a half-million dollars,” he said.

The nephew left the woman living in a home with “other people involved in drugs” and no other family options, Kiefer said.

“She was incapable of taking care of herself. What do I do with her? Where do I take her? I just had a bad vibe about leaving her alone,” he said. “I had to get creative.”

He decided to take her to a nearby hospital even though she had no legitimate medical need. She stayed there about two weeks before moving to a nursing home. “I had to scramble,” Kiefer said.

As one of two APS investigators for Shelby, Hancock and Johnson counties, Kiefer—a 15-year veteran of the agency—said the lack of an emergency placement program, which investigators have sought for many years, “imposes an unnecessary and potentially dangerous burden on those most at risk.

“Emergencies, when they happen, they fall out of the sky and land in your lap,” he said. For example: finding a severely handicapped adult alone with serious medical needs and no family to turn to.

“I hate to do it, but I sometimes send them to the hospital,” he said. “I can’t walk away and leave them in some horrible situation.”

Report to outline needs
Recommendations for APS emergency placement, staffing, standards of care and training for investigators will be addressed in a report to the General Assembly this month, said James Gavin, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) spokesman.

Ambre Marr, AARP Indiana legislative director, said she hopes the report recommends hiring enough APS staff—now roughly 40 statewide—to handle the projected number of cases the state will investigate.

“We need more investigators and we need additional funds for emergency placement situations,” Marr said. “This will allow investigators to care for these individuals in a more timely manner. Right now, they’re just overwhelmed.”

State Sen. Michael Crider (R-Greenfield), who introduced the bill mandating the report, said he expects it to also include information on the costs and benefits of establishing a centralized intake system for abuse reports.

“This type of information will help the legislature know exactly what’s needed,” Crider said, adding he plans to work with FSSA, the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council “and other state leaders to find a funding solution that helps APS function more efficiently.”

One challenge is finding the right balance for the agencies on the front lines, Marr said. The need for more investigators is important, as is adjusting the system so it works effectively and efficiently. The upcoming report will be crucial to those discussions.

Kiefer, who said he investigates 150 to 200 reports of abuse or neglect each year, describes his typical case as one involving a widow in her 70s, physically disabled or with advanced dementia, living alone with no family. He said Indiana needs to fix its APS issues soon.

“I’m a baby boomer, and there’s going to be more of ‘me’ in the next 20 years,” Kiefer said. “A silver tsunami—people say that it’s coming. Nuh-uh. It’s here and it’s just going to keep growing.”

Diana Lamirand is a writer living in Noblesville, Ind.