You’re their lifeline. We’re your Helpline.

The Elder Abuse Helpline for Concerned Persons is a unique service for concerned persons in the lives of elder abuse victims. A concerned person is a family member, friend, loved one, or neighbor impacted by elder abuse.

Services are free and confidential.

Call 844-746-6905 (M-F, 9am-5pm Eastern)

Who We Are

We are a NON-EMERGENCY service providing information and support between the hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Eastern), Monday through Friday. We try our best to return all calls within 24 business hours. Calls received during evenings, weekends, and holidays will be responded to by the next business day.

The Helpline can be reached by dialing 844-746-6905. The Helpline is not a referral line to report abuse, rather a service for the concerned person witnessing the abuse.

The Helpline gives callers access to a trained service specialist. The specialist is backed by a culturally competent, compassionate, and caring team of professionals with many years of experience in the elder justice field. The Helpline is staffed by Lifespan of Greater Rochester in upstate NY and by CEASe (Center for Elder Abuse Solutions) for downstate residents.

What We Do

The Elder Abuse Helpline offers the following services to concerned persons:

  • Supportive counseling to ease uncertainty, anxiety, and stress

  • Discussion of concerns and needs

  • Guidance to help plan next steps

  • Accurate information and education about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation

  • Appropriate and timely referrals

Our hope is that supportive listening and appropriate referrals can decrease a concerned person’s own anxiety and distress and increase their capacity to be a support to a victim of elder abuse.

Who We Help

The Elder Abuse Helpline will assist a concerned person as long as the victim of elder abuse resides in New York State.

The following resources provide more information about concerned persons and their experiences:

  • When Helping Hurts: This blog, originally published in The Huffington Post, includes statistics about concerned persons and describes how elder abuse takes its toll on them, too. It was written by NYCEAC Executive Director Risa Breckman and elder justice advocate Philip Marshall.

  • I’ll Stand by You: In this NYCEAC eNewsletter from 2014, a niece, a neighbor, and a close friend and employee share their individual stories of helping an older adult suffering from elder abuse.

  • It Became Love – One Advocate’s Journey into the Elder Justice World: A more expansive post detailing how Nancy Oatts’ concern grew into a loving commitment to her neighbor.

How to Reach Us For Residents of Upstate New York

What Counties Are Upstate?

Click below to see a list of upstate and downstate counties.

Upstate or Downstate?

If you are a professional and would like more information about the Helpline, call 844-746-6905 or email us at eahelpline@lifespan-roch.org .

If you are a concerned person, please call 844-746-6905 or email us at eahelpline@lifespan-roch.org. The Helpline is free and confidential.

Elder Abuse Helpline for Concerned Persons

You’re their lifeline. We’re your Helpline.

Call 844-746-6905 or email us at eahelpline@lifespan-roch.org.

Helpline for Concerned Persons Infographic

The Elder Abuse Helpline for Concerned Persons is funded by the NYS Office of Victim Services. It is administered by the Center for Elder Abuse Solutions (CEASe) at Weill Cornell Medicine https://elderabuse.weill.cornell.edu/.