Reporting abuse or neglect in Texas
Call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400, available 24 hours a day, if action is needed within 24 hours. If someone faces immediate risk of death or serious harm, call 911. Reports are confidential and may be made anonymously.
- Texas Abuse Hotline: 1-800-252-5400. Available 24 hours a day. Use the phone line when a situation needs action in under 24 hours.
- Online: txabusehotline.org. For non-urgent reports with a response window of 24 hours or more. Requires creating an account.
- Emergency: Call 911 if someone faces immediate risk of death or serious harm.
What counts, and what to write down
Abuse in older adults is more often neglect and financial exploitation than physical harm. Unpaid bills in a household that always paid them, a new person with sudden influence over finances, unexplained withdrawals, untreated pressure injuries, sudden weight loss, dehydration, or a resident consistently unclean are all reportable.
Before you call, write down what you observed with dates and times. Specific dated observations move faster than general concern, and you will be asked for them. Photographs help where the concern is physical.
You do not need to be sure
Suspicion is the standard, not proof. Texas mandatory reporting law applies broadly to anyone who suspects abuse of an older adult, and reports may be made anonymously. Investigating is the agency's job, not yours.
Financial exploitation is the common case
It also most often involves someone the family knows, which is exactly why it goes unreported. Family Eldercare at 512-483-3580 can help with money management as a less adversarial intervention where the situation is ambiguous.
