Hot Line Is a Lifeline : Elder Abuse Telephone Service Makes a Vital Connection for Seniors

A pensioner called after being cheated by an unscrupulous landlord. Police officers called when they found an elderly man alone and lost on a downtown street, unable to remember where he lived. And once, a woman literally used her last dime to call from a pay phone as she lapsed into a diabetic coma.

These calls and 10,000 others have been taken by the Elder Abuse Hotline since county officials established the 24-hour, toll-free number in 1986.

“There are calls of actual physical abuse and neglect where a person is being struck or isn’t cared for properly or is being denied medication,” said Karen Colquhoun, the hot line’s assistant director. “But more frequent than actual physical abuse is exploitation, where someone is using an elder’s money or cashing his check.”

On a few occasions during the hot line’s two-year existence, however, operators have found themselves dealing with tense, life-threatening situations.

Julio Puchalt, a hot-line supervisor, was working a weekend shift when a homeless woman called looking for shelter. “As she talked, I noticed her voice was getting weaker and weaker,” he said. “Eventually, I lost contact with her.”

Puchalt spent two hours on the phone with paramedics trying to locate the woman, who had called from a pay phone and given only a garbled description of her location. He later discovered that she had fallen into a diabetic coma but that paramedics had arrived in time to help her.

25 Operators Answer Calls

In a nondescript county building in the San Gabriel Valley, the hot line has 25 operators ready to answer calls during working hours, and at least two lines open on nights and weekends. It is one of dozens of hot lines created in recent years to offer help to battered women, abused children and other people in need.

The Elder Abuse Hotline was created in August, 1986, as part of a campaign to raise public awareness about the abuse of the elderly. The service operates on $83,000 of state and county funding each year, said Julia Takeda of the Department of Public Social Services.

Statewide studies show that about 4% of the population over age 65 is abused each year, Takeda said.

“In most cases the abused person is usually female and over the age of 75,” Takeda said. “They are usually socially isolated, and in most cases the abuser is a relative or immediate care-giver.”

Since its opening, the hot line has averaged about 400 calls a month, and agencies that serve the elderly say it has become an important resource.

“Any time there’s any elder abuse, we know where to call,” said Ruby Chuman, a social worker at the St. Barnabas Senior Center in Westlake.

Chuman called the hot line when an 82-year-old woman came to the center after losing her life savings of $6,000 to a hotel clerk who forced her to withdraw the money from the bank. The hot line in turn alerted county social workers, who investigated the case but were unable to find the clerk or recover the money, she said.

Although most of the calls involve senior citizens, the hot line is also open to adults with psychological and physical disabilities such as multiple sclerosis and chronic diabetes.

Marianne Galleon handled the hot line’s first call, from a 30-year-old woman with cerebral palsy who she said was being physically abused by her husband and son.

Galleon said most of the calls come from “third parties,” neighbors and family members who have witnessed abuse or fear it may be taking place. The hot line guarantees a caller’s confidentiality, she said.

Hot line operators screen the calls, contacting social workers in cases of abuse and neglect.

“We make frequent referrals to the abuse hot line,” said Andrew Gutierrez of the Los Angeles Department of Aging. “You need people who are trained to deal with physical and emotional abuse. Most agencies don’t have that capability.”

A call by a West Los Angeles resident to the hot line probably saved the life of a 78-year-old man who had developed gangrene from an untreated leg injury, said Pam Smith of Adult Protective Services.

The resident called the hot line when he noticed that his elderly neighbor had not picked up his mail for several days. Social workers were able to get the man to the hospital, Smith said.

“I see it as a benefit to the community,” Smith said. “It provides seniors with a way to find help, even after hours.”

The 24-hour Elder Abuse Hotline can be reached at (800) 992-1660.