If you need to report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, isolation, or abandonment of an older or vulnerable adult in Las Vegas, Adult Protective Services in Clark County can be reached at 702-486-6930, and the statewide line is 888-729-0571.1Aging & Disability Services Division. Report Suspected Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation, Isolation or Abandonment Both numbers connect to trained intake specialists at Nevada’s Aging and Disability Services Division (ADSD), which runs APS statewide. If the person is in immediate danger, call 911 first and file the APS report afterward.
Who APS Can Help
Nevada law protects two groups. An “older person” is anyone age 60 or older living in the state. A “vulnerable person” is anyone from 18 through 59 with a physical or mental condition that limits their ability to handle normal daily activities, whether from a developmental disability, organic brain damage, mental illness, or another impairment.2Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200.5092 – Definitions
You do not need a formal diagnosis, a legal relationship to the person, or proof of harm before you call. If you reasonably believe someone fits either description and appears to be at risk, that is enough for ADSD to open an intake. The person must live in Nevada, or the conduct you are reporting must have happened in the state.
What You Can Report
NRS 200.5092 lays out the kinds of harm that give APS authority to investigate.2Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200.5092 – Definitions Knowing the categories helps you describe what you have seen when you call.
- Abuse: deliberately causing pain, injury, or emotional distress; depriving someone of food, shelter, clothing, or needed services; or nonconsensual sexual contact. Permitting another person to commit these acts also counts.
- Neglect: a caregiver with legal, contractual, or voluntary responsibility failing to provide food, shelter, clothing, or medical care.
- Exploitation: using a position of trust, a power of attorney, or a guardianship to take control of someone’s money, property, or assets through deception, intimidation, or undue influence.
- Isolation: deliberately cutting a protected adult off from visitors, phone calls, or mail, including telling callers the person does not want contact when that is not true.
- Abandonment: deserting a protected adult in an unsafe manner when you have a legal duty of care, or withdrawing assistance you are obligated to provide.
ADSD may also respond when an adult’s own behavior is putting them at risk, though this falls outside the specific definitions in NRS 200.5092 and is handled differently from cases involving a perpetrator.
Warning Signs of Financial Exploitation
Exploitation is one of the most common reasons for APS reports in Clark County, and often the hardest to spot because the victim may not realize it is happening. If you are watching out for an older parent, relative, or neighbor, these are patterns worth paying attention to:
- Repeated ATM withdrawals over short periods, transactions at odd hours, or activity in accounts that had been inactive.
- Checks written to “cash,” to salespeople, or to telemarketers, especially multiple small-dollar checks in similar amounts.
- New names appearing on powers of attorney, wills, property titles, or bank signature cards without a clear reason.
- Unexplained real estate transfers, refinancing that adds new owners to the deed, or forged signatures on financial documents.
- Sudden credit card cash advances, spikes in debt, or purchases in places the person never goes.
- Payments to family members or hired caregivers that exceed agreed-upon amounts, or expenses that make no sense for the person’s lifestyle, such as car payments for someone who does not drive.
You do not need to prove exploitation before reporting. A cluster of these warning signs is exactly what APS investigators are trained to evaluate.
How to File a Report
Call the Clark County office at 702-486-6930 or the statewide line at 888-729-0571. ADSD also offers an online reporting form through its website for situations that are not emergencies.1Aging & Disability Services Division. Report Suspected Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation, Isolation or Abandonment
Before you call, try to have the following ready:
- The full name, approximate age, and current address of the person you believe is at risk.
- The name of the suspected abuser and their relationship to the person, if you know it.
- A specific description of what you witnessed or what made you concerned.
- Any known medical conditions or cognitive impairments.
- Details about living conditions, such as lack of utilities, untreated injuries, or unsanitary surroundings.
Clark County is large, so an accurate address matters. The more precise you can be about where the person is, the faster a field investigator can reach them.
When to Call 911 Instead
APS handles investigations, not emergency rescue. If someone is being actively assaulted, having a medical emergency, or in a situation that could cause death or serious injury within hours, call 911 first. A useful line: if you would call 911 for anyone in that situation regardless of age, do it. APS is for serious concerns that are not unfolding minute by minute.
What Happens After You Call
Once ADSD receives a report, investigators must begin looking into it within three working days.3Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200 – Crimes Against the Person – Section: NRS 200.5093 Cases involving immediate threats to life or safety typically get a faster response. The investigation usually starts with an on-site visit, where an APS worker meets the alleged victim, assesses living conditions, and interviews people involved.
Investigators look at physical evidence, medical records, financial documents, and witness statements to decide whether the allegations can be substantiated. If they find the person is at risk, they can connect them with resources like home health aides, meal delivery, or emergency shelter. When the investigation reveals criminal conduct, APS refers the case to local law enforcement or the district attorney’s office.
Will the Person Know I Reported?
No. Reports filed under NRS 200.5093 and 200.5094, along with related records and investigation materials, are confidential under NRS 200.5095. Willfully releasing that information outside the narrow exceptions in the statute is a misdemeanor.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200 – Crimes Against the Person – Section: NRS 200.5095 Even when records are shared with a legal guardian or an estate executor, the identity of the person who made the original report stays protected. Disclosure is limited to situations like criminal prosecutions, court orders issued after an in-camera review, and research where subject identities remain anonymous.
This protection is in place so that neighbors, coworkers, and family members feel safe coming forward. The person you report will not be told who called, and the investigation records are not public.
If the Adult Refuses Help
A mentally competent adult can refuse APS services. Even when an investigator confirms the person is living in poor conditions or making choices that seem harmful, that person has the right to decline intervention as long as they understand the consequences. APS cannot force an unwilling, competent adult to accept services.
Capacity is not all-or-nothing. Someone might be able to make certain decisions but not others, and capacity can shift with medications, infections, dehydration, or time of day. When an APS worker suspects impaired capacity, they typically refer the person for a professional evaluation rather than making that clinical judgment themselves. If a court eventually finds the person lacks capacity to make safe decisions, the next step is usually a guardianship proceeding, a separate legal process handled through Nevada’s district courts under NRS Chapter 159.
For families, this is often the hardest part. Watching a parent turn down help they clearly need feels unbearable. The legal framework is built on the principle that adults get to make their own choices, even bad ones, unless a court has formally found them incapacitated. Continuing to document concerning incidents and staying in contact with APS gives investigators a record to work with if the person’s condition gets worse.
If You Are a Mandatory Reporter
Anyone can file a voluntary report, but NRS 200.5093 requires certain professionals to report within 24 hours of learning about or having reasonable cause to believe that an older or vulnerable person has been harmed.5Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200.5093 – Report of Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation, Isolation or Abandonment of Older Person or Vulnerable Person The list is long and includes doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, dentists, paramedics, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and other licensed medical professionals. It also covers hospital staff and administrators, coroners, home health workers, employees of facilities that care for older or vulnerable people, law enforcement and probation officers, and employees of the Department of Health and Human Services.
A mandatory reporter who fails to report can face criminal penalties. If you are unsure whether your profession is on the list, the safe move is to report. Voluntary reporters face no penalty for a good-faith report that turns out to be unsubstantiated.