The Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services received and investigated 43,208 reports of Missouri seniors and adults with disabilities being abused or neglected in 2025. That's about 1,300 more than the year before.
Tim Jackson oversees Adult Protective Services for the state and said the increase in reports is a double-edged sword.
"Obviously, we want more awareness of abuse, neglect, and exploitation, so we would like to see those numbers go up because we know that it is an unreported problem. At the same time, we're somewhat thinly staffed," Jackson said.
According to DHSS, the department is receiving 118 reports a day on average.
Jackson said adult abuse can take many forms, such as physical abuse, caregiver neglect, financial abuse and even self neglect.
"We get a lot of reports where a person may have been able to take care of all of their needs in the past, but they've gotten to a point where they're unable to or having difficulty with some of their activities of daily living," Jackson said. "So, we get reports to respond to those situations, and basically what we're trying to do is provide any kind of resources or services that are needed for that person to get past that."
He said while reports are on the rise, the abuse of seniors and adults with disabilities is considered vastly underreported. It's estimated that 23 cases go unreported for every 1 reported case of adult abuse.
Jackson said one reason for this low rate of reporting is the nature of the abuse. Seniors or adults with disabilities may rely on a family member to physically take care of them and worry about retribution.
"I think a lot of people have the fear that they'll be placed in a nursing home," Jackson said. "There is that misconception out there that we can place people in nursing homes — we do not have that ability to do that because we're working with people who have the right to make their own decisions."
Wendy Bruemmer is with the Division of Senior and Disability Services, and she said isolation also plays a role. While children are seen at school, doctor's appointments and more — adults don't always have the same access to socialization.
"[There's a] lack of social supports or lack of supports within their community or family," Bruemmer said. "We all want to be very independent, you know, [but] that independence also kind of drives some of that isolation, them not wanting to bother their family members."
She said some of the possible identifiers of abuse or neglect could include bruises, changes in behavior, withdrawal from normal activity and financial issues or anxiety.
Both Bruemmer and Jackson encourage people to reach out if they suspect abuse or neglect. They can do that by calling the Missouri Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-392-0210 or by reporting their concerns online at https://moapss.health.mo.gov/.
"Not many Missourians know that there's an adult abuse and neglect hotline, and that's kind of scary," Bruemmer said. "Because we want them to be aware. When they see these things, we want them to know what they can do."
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