Cases of senior self-neglect are 'tremendous crisis' increasing in every Richmond-area locality

As seniors on fixed incomes are struggling to afford to take care of themselves, adult protective services investigations are dramatically on the rise in every social services department in Central Virginia.

By: Tyler Layne

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- As seniors on fixed incomes are struggling to afford to take care of themselves, adult protective services investigations are dramatically on the rise in every social services department in Central Virginia.

Susan McCammon, executive director of Shepherd's Center in Chesterfield County, said she and her volunteers are noticing the challenges of the aging population firsthand.

“It just tears your heart out, and it’s everyday -- phone calls for us. It’s every day," McCammon said. “It’s a tremendous crisis with our aging population, and it’s just so sad, and they have no one to help them.”

Shepherd's Center provides transportation to those over 60-years-old, driving them to medical appointments, grocery stores, food banks, and other places to meet their needs.

She said since the pandemic, a growing number of elderly adults are not taking care of themselves as rising rent prices, food costs, and inflation have taken a significant toll.

McCammon said seniors are being forced to make tough decisions such as choosing to buy groceries over medication.

“Our volunteer drivers are the people who take them to the grocery store, and they can see the decline in their health because they’re not going to the doctor," McCammon said. "They've said, 'I'm not going to the doctor, I don't have the money for [prescriptions.] I just need food to survive.' So usually, they sacrifice their meds and being compliant with their doctor’s orders.”

Others have depleted their benefits, bypassed paying utility bills, and/or are facing eviction.

"They're looking for assistance to pay their rent, and we also noticed that we probably get seven or eight calls for that every day," McCammon said.

When Shepherd's Center volunteers encounter a senior in severe crisis or suspect a senior is in a position of neglecting their well-being, they'll escalate a report to social services.

And data collected by CBS 6 shows every local social services department has seen an increase in adult protective services investigations since the start of the pandemic. That means cases of abuse, financial exploitation, and most commonly, self-neglect, are on the rise.

Here's a look at the numbers of adult protective services investigations by fiscal year (July 1-June 30 of each year), provided by each social services department:

CHESTERFIELD:
FY 2019: 367 FY 2023: 986
Increase: 169%

HENRICO:
FY 2019: 533 FY 2023: 1,373
Increase: 158%

RICHMOND:
FY 2019: 255 FY 2022: 464
Increase: 82%

HANOVER:
FY 2019: 113 FY 2023: 206
Increase: 82%

"Self-neglect is the highest substantiated type of maltreatment that our adult protective services team is dealing with. This is a situation where the individual may neglect their hygiene, feeding or may not tend to their medical needs appropriately. This increase in self-neglect has definitely been impacted by the rise in housing and food costs as many of our seniors live on a fixed income," said Danika Briggs with Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Social Services during an August presentation to the Board of Supervisors.

Another explanation behind the increase in cases, according to local social services leaders, is the resumption of operations for in-home providers and day programs that were paused during the pandemic. Upon returning to regular services, those programs highlighted challenges among seniors that previously went unnoticed.

"With a great deal of APS referrals coming from health workers like doctors, nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants, COVID caused an absence of having “eyes” on the elder population during visits and conditions unfortunately went unknown," said Daricka Jones, Hanover County Social Services Director in an email to CBS 6. "In 2022, as things became “normal” again, in home visits, in person doctor appointments and family visits returned and inadequate health and living conditions of adults became known, possibly leading to a significant increase in referrals from the parties involved with adults needing assistance."

McCammon said recently, she's noticed it can take up to a month for social services to perform a welfare check on a senior due to the overwhelming demand.

“They’re inundated. They can’t even keep up with how many calls they get," McCammon said. "They don't have enough people working, and the workload is tremendous."

However, sometimes there's not much social services can really do beyond connecting seniors to resources, which Briggs acknowledged can be frustrating for community members who contact social services for assistance but do not notice improvements after social services gets involved.

But Briggs said if adult services questions an individual's mental capacity, they can initiate a psychological evaluation which could lead to a legal process in order to make decisions on their behalf.

McCammon said while Shepherd's Center and other area nonprofits are working to provide support to those in crisis, she's worried it won't be enough as the problems facing seniors are showing no signs of slowing down.

“Policymakers need to realize this is really a crisis. This is really important, and they need to do something to help with this," McCammon said. "I don't feel there are enough resources. Even the state and county resources, they're just to the edge of what they can offer. There needs to be more."

"Something's got to give," she said. 

Full Article & Source:
Cases of senior self-neglect are 'tremendous crisis' increasing in every Richmond-area locality