adult protective services (APS)

Human services often including social, medical, legal, residential, and custodial care that may be provided for adults who are unable to provide such care for themselves or who do not have a significant other who might provide it. Such people often are incapable of acting judiciously on their own behalf and, thus, are vulnerable to being harmed by or to inflicting harm on others. In such situations, and typically after a legal decision has been made, the social agency or other care facility provides the relevant service until it is no longer deemed necessary. The 1975 Title XX legislation mandated that APS be provided without regard to a person's financial or residency eligibility.