In 2021, anonymous reports helped protect 2,184 vulnerable adults from potential abuse; new hotline makes reporting neglect, abuse and exploitation easy and confidential

NEWARK (Nov. 30, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD) today announced the launch of the new Adult Protective Services (APS) hotline – 888-APS-4302.

With one simple phone call, concerned individuals and those experiencing harm can connect with free, voluntary services and resources that could save a life. In 2021, more than 2,000 investigations of suspected abuse were conducted based on the reports from concerned and caring individuals.

“Just as we should check smoke detectors at Daylight Saving Time, the holidays are an important reminder to check on the well-being of those who are aging and vulnerable adults in our lives,” said Melissa Smith, director of the Delaware Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities. “To support family and friends across the state this holiday season and beyond, we’re proud to announce the new, easy-to-remember 24-hour hotline that anyone can use to ‘make the call’ and protect individuals who may not be able to protect themselves. You have the power to make a difference for a vulnerable adult who is experiencing harm by reporting to Adult Protective Services.”

Under Delaware law, a vulnerable adult is defined as a person 18 years of age or older who, because of isolation, sickness, debilitation, mental illness, or physical, mental or cognitive disability, is easily susceptible to harm.

Concerned individuals should call 888-APS-4302 if they suspect the occurrence of any of the following forms of harm:

• Physical abuse – inflicting physical pain or injury on a senior
• Sexual abuse – non-consensual sexual contact of any kind
• Emotional abuse – inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on a vulnerable adult through verbal or nonverbal acts
• Neglect – the failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection for a vulnerable adult
• Self-neglect – the failure of a person to perform essential, self-care tasks and that such failure threatens his/her own health or safety
• Exploitation – the illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a vulnerable adult for someone else’s benefit
• Abandonment – desertion of a vulnerable adult by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person
• Additional forms of harm – mistreatment, intimidation, manipulation or coercion

The new APS hotline makes reporting these types of harm easy and confidential.

Adult Protective Services also recently kicked off an awareness campaign across Delaware with a series of posters and digital public service announcements with the tagline “Make the Call” to reinforce awareness of the critical resource available to all.  

While voluntarily reporting harm is highly encouraged, certain professions are legally mandated to report. This includes groups such as caretakers and medical practitioners, as well as employees of financial institutions who have direct contact with a vulnerable adult and suspect financial exploitation. 

APS is not a law-enforcement agency, though it does provide information obtained from a report of abuse to partner state agencies and law enforcement. APS may only intervene with its free services and resources if accepted by the victim. Victims themselves also can report harm and are urged to do so.  

For more information about Adult Protective Services, including how to file a report, types of harm, and the resources and services available, visit dhss.delaware.gov/dsaapd/aps.

NEWARK (Nov. 14, 2022) – The Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD) is using the findings from a report based on caregiver focus groups held late last year across the state to enhance its current supports and develop a new approach to caregiver services. This includes the formation of the Delaware Action Network for Caregivers, a forum where caregivers can learn and collaborate with agencies supporting caregivers. Its inaugural meeting will be held Nov. 29, 2022, during National Family Caregivers Month.

DSAAPD released the report today, compiled by Wilder Research, which builds on the Division’s efforts to better support unpaid family caregivers throughout the lifespan.

“Family caregivers play a significant role in supporting parents, children, siblings, and other loved ones who need care for a variety of reasons,” said DSAAPD Director Melissa Smith. “Many older adults prefer to remain in their homes for as long as possible, and families often prefer to care for their children and other family members at home. However, caregiving can have major impacts on caregivers’ health and well-being. Providing supports to these individuals and helping them access the resources they need is critically important.”

Four main themes emerged from eight focus group sessions that included 38 participants:

Family caregiver characteristics and experiences
According to the AARP report, Caregiving in the United States 2020, caregiving cuts across generations, race and ethnicity, income and family composition, among other identifiers. The characteristics of the caregivers who participated in the local focus groups affirms this observation. However, the information shared by the caregivers during the focus groups showed that there is no one “typical” caregiver and no one “typical” caregiver experience. Needs and expectations vary and can be constantly in flux.

Lack of awareness of services and difficulty locating useful information
Focus group participants expressed a lack of full information about what services might be available to them as one of the most common barriers to accessing supports.

In addition, focus group participants expressed frustration with the amount of time and effort required to navigate systems and find supports.

Concerns about the reliability and quality of services
Focus group participants discussed difficulties in arranging for services. Many factors contribute to this, including the limited availability of paid staff, cost of care, uncertainties about whether caregivers can trust the information or abilities of paid staff, and care recipients’ reluctance to have unfamiliar people care for them.

Financial impact of caregiving
Families are asked to make difficult choices about finances and managing necessary care. Participants discussed the high cost of medical care and the challenges of navigating insurance coverage. In addition, paid employment can be difficult to manage in the face of caregiving responsibilities.

This project was funded through grant support from the National Academy of State Health Policy (NASHP) and the John Hartford Foundation. Read the full report on the DSAAPD website. For more information about the Delaware Action Network for Caregivers, call the Delaware Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) at 1-800-223-9074.

Sponsor a wish list and spread some holiday cheer to those who need it most

SMYRNA (Oct. 27, 2022) – The Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill (DHCI) in Smyrna is asking members of the community to sponsor a resident for the holidays. Since many residents have little family involvement or support, the nursing home relies on the generosity of community members including neighbors, local businesses, community organizations, and volunteers to help fulfill resident wishes at the holidays through the Adopt-A-Resident Program.

“The Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill is truly grateful for the continued generosity and kindness of those who step forward to make a difference for our residents over the holidays and throughout the year,” said Melissa Smith, director of the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD).

DHCI is a licensed skilled nursing facility (SNF), operated by the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities, and dedicated to comprehensive nursing home services for Delawareans who have no other options for their care.

Members of the community, as individuals or as groups, can participate in Adopt-A-Resident at Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill in one of three ways:

• Adopt-A-Resident: Sponsors are provided with the identification code and the wish list of a resident. The sponsor is asked to buy the wish list items and deliver them unwrapped in a gift bag to the Medical Administration Building Lobby Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. at Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill, 100 Sunnyside Road, Smyrna.
• Monetary donation: Donate by gift card or check and leave the shopping to staff at DHCI. Donations may be mailed to the Volunteer Services Office, Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill, 100 Sunnyside Road, Smyrna, DE, 19977.
• General donation: Buy items from the list of suggested gifts that coordinators will email to you. During the holidays, these items are utilized to fill gift bags for residents who have not been adopted, and during the rest of the year they are utilized to fill resident birthday bags and special requests for residents.

To participate in Adopt-A-Resident, please email Tina.Wagner@delaware.gov or call 302-223-1011 and let us know how you wish to help. Please also leave your name and the best way to contact you.

NEW CASTLE (Jan. 8, 2021) – Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Molly Magarik today announced five leadership changes for the organization involving four divisions and one of the Department’s Deputy Secretary positions.

The changes:

Sarah Noonan Davis, who has served in leadership roles at the University of Delaware and Westside Family Healthcare, has been named Deputy Secretary for Special Populations, Strategic Planning and Innovation. In her new role, Noonan Davis will focus on special populations, as well as strategic planning and innovative practices that are needed to move the department into the 21st century. She will oversee the Divisions of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities, Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities Services, Visually Impaired, and Management Services. Noonan Davis previously served as Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations at the University of Delaware and as Deputy Director and Associate Deputy Director at Westside Family Healthcare, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), with health centers in New Castle and Kent counties.

Noonan Davis graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science in 2004 and a Master of Public Administration in 2006, and is working on her Doctor of Urban Affairs and Public Policy in Health Policy from UD.

She replaces Lisa Bond, who left DHSS for a position in the private sector. Noonan Davis, who lives in Wilmington, will begin in her role on March 1, and will join Tanisha Merced, who serves as Deputy Secretary of Policy and Social Services for DHSS. Together with Secretary Magarik, they will ensure that the service delivery and support for DHSS leadership, staff, community partners and clients remain strong during the COVID-19 pandemic, while beginning to advance the goals and initiatives outlined in the DHSS strategic plan.

“In her role as Deputy Secretary, Sarah Noonan Davis will bring her experience serving Delawareans in various roles and also her countless community relationships to help lead our agency during these critical times,” Secretary Magarik said. “Until the pandemic is over and all Delawareans who want the vaccine have received it, our highest priority is continuing to coordinate with our providers on service delivery, along with the services that DHSS provides directly to people in need. In addition, Sarah’s talents and skills will be critical as our agency, staff, providers and clients make the transition to a post-COVID world, and we refocus on meeting the needs of the communities we serve.”

In addition to the Deputy Secretary announcement, Secretary Magarik also announced these leadership changes:

Dava Newnam, who has been Director of the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD) and has served in various roles at DHSS for 20 years, has been named Director of the Division of Management Services (DMS). Newnam will serve as the Chief Operating Officer for the department, with responsibilities of managing a $3 billion budget and 3,500 employees. As Director of DSAAPD since August 2017, Newnam led more than 700 employees and was responsible for directing the state-run Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill in Smyrna; community-facing units serving about 20,000 vulnerable Delawareans older than 60; and the Adult Protective Services unit, which protects vulnerable adults who are at risk of abuse, neglect or financial exploitation. She has earned degrees in Psychology from St. Petersburg Junior College and Delaware Technical and Community College. Newnam, who lives in Wilmington with her family, will begin her new role on Jan. 11.

Melissa Smith, who has been Deputy Director of the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD) since November 2018, has been named its Director. Smith has served in various roles at DHSS for the past 16 years, including as planning supervisor and long-term care planner in DSAAPD and deputy director and director of planning at the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH). Before joining DHSS, she served as analyst with the Government Accountability Office and as an analyst with the Office of Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Justice. Smith earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Delaware and also a Master’s Degree in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. Smith, who lives in Newark with her family, will begin her new role on Jan. 11.

Thomas Killian Jr., who has been serving as Regional Director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, has been named Director of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH). He will begin his new role on Jan. 19. Alexis Teitelbaum, who has been serving as Acting Director, will return to her previous role as Deputy Director for DSAMH.

Killian, who is a licensed Behavior Specialist, has more than 14 years of experience in behavioral health services, including the past eight in leadership positions at nonprofits and university-affiliated psychiatric institutes and clinics. Since April 2020, he has served as Regional Director at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, where he led efforts to provide stability and standardization of the Behavioral Health Service Line over three hospitals in Altoona and Somerset, Pa., and Cumberland, Md., and provided oversight for both inpatient and ambulatory services within these hospitals and communities. He supervised department heads, presided over training, and was responsible for fiscal management, hiring, building relationships with partners, clients and community, and strategic planning. He previously served as Executive Director at Garrett County Lighthouse, Inc., in Oakland, Md., Associated Clinical Director at Keystone Human Services in Harrisburg, Pa., Primary Inpatient Therapist at Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute in Harrisburg, Pa.; and Program Manager at Pennsylvania Treatment and Healing in Pottsville, Pa.

Killian earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, both from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa.; a Master of Science in Psychology from the University of Phoenix; and is working on Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology from Northcentral University in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Faith Mwaura, who has been a Senior Social Services Administrator in the Division of State Services Service Centers (DSSC), has been appointed as its Deputy Director. Mwaura, who has been with the division since 2010, previously served as Social Services Administrator, where her duties included administering federal grants and state-funded Community Food Programs, and developing the Community Services Block Grant State Plan. Her current duties as a member of the division’s leadership team include monitoring, directing and overseeing federal, state and private funding that benefits low-income and vulnerable Delawareans. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Wisconsin Lutheran College and a Master’s Degree in Urban Development and Public Policy from the University of Delaware. Mwaura replaces Cynthia Manlove, who retired after almost 40 years of service to the people of Delaware at DHSS. Mwaura, who lives in New Castle with her family, will begin her new role Jan. 17.

“I am excited to have these five individuals in these critical positions,” Magarik said. “They all have important experience in reaching out to employees, clients, providers, and other community partners; innovating even during challenging circumstances; and doing the hard work of strategic planning. I want to offer a special thanks to Alexis Teitelbaum for her leadership of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health for the past four months, and I know she will help provide important support to Thomas Killian as he transitions into his role.”

The Department of Health and Social Services, with about 3,500 employees, is responsible for meeting the health and social service needs of Delawareans by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency and protecting vulnerable populations.