Adult Protective Services
About 3 of every 64 questions on a Florida NHA Laws and Rules practice exam come from this topic.
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What to know
Chapter 415, the Adult Protective Services Act, protects vulnerable adults: people 18 or older whose ability to carry out normal daily living activities is impaired. Neglect can be a single careless incident, not only a pattern, and a caregiver is anyone who has taken on frequent and regular care. Any person who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect abuse, neglect or exploitation, nursing home staff expressly included, must report it immediately to the central abuse hotline, which takes calls around the clock on one statewide toll-free number. Facilities must tell residents they have the right to report and set policies that make reporting easy. Good-faith reporters are presumed to act in good faith and are immune from civil and criminal liability; a facility may not retaliate, and an adverse job action within 120 days of a report is presumed retaliatory. The department begins investigating within 24 hours and finishes within 60 days, and notifies AHCA when a facility employee is the alleged perpetrator. Records and the reporter's identity are confidential. Knowingly failing to report is a second-degree misdemeanor; a knowingly false report is a third-degree felony.
Where it comes from
- §§ 415.102, 415.103, 415.1034, 415.1035, F.S.
- §§ 415.1036, 415.104, 415.1055, F.S.
- §§ 415.107, 415.111, F.S.
Try a practice question
A housekeeper at a nursing home suspects that a resident is being financially exploited by a visitor. What does section 415.1034 require?
- AReport it immediately to the central abuse hotline
- BReport it only if a nurse or physician confirms the suspicion first
- CReport it to the local ombudsman council within 5 business days
- DTell the administrator and let the facility decide whether to report
Show the answer
Report it immediately to the central abuse hotline. Any person, nursing home staff included, who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect abuse, neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult must immediately report it to the central abuse hotline.
§ 415.1034(1)(a), F.S.
Ready for a full run? The Florida Nursing Home Administrator Laws and Rules Exam Practice Test is 64 questions in 120 minutes, scored at 75%. For the official exam's details, see Florida Nursing Home Administrator License Exam Requirements.