Call 911 first. Adult Protective Services is not an emergency responder and does not dispatch immediate help -- it investigates reports after the fact. Use 911 for anything urgent, then follow up with APS or the ombudsman as appropriate.
What to do next
This distinction matters because families under stress sometimes call APS expecting an immediate dispatched response the way 911 provides, and that is not how the program is built to work. APS investigations, even when initiated quickly, unfold over days, not minutes. If a situation is unfolding right now -- a fall with an injury, a threat, an acute medical event -- 911 is always the first call. APS and the ombudsman are the right next calls for documenting and addressing the underlying pattern once the immediate danger has passed.
