Iowa Law and Services Together (ILAST)
How Iowa Responds to Elder Abuse (ILAST)
Some concerns involving elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation are complex and may involve more than one system. ILAST helps explain how a coordinated response can support older Iowans when multiple agencies or professionals need to work together.
ILAST stands for Iowa Law and Services Together and reflects a coordinated approach across agencies and professionals to respond to complex situations.
Why Coordination Matters
Click a topic to learn more.
Complex Situations Often Overlap
A single concern may involve safety, health, finances, caregiving, housing, and legal issues at the same time. A coordinated approach helps make sure those issues are not treated as unrelated problems.
Different Systems May Be Involved
Depending on the concern, human services, regulatory agencies, law enforcement, advocacy services, aging services, or community professionals may each play a different role.
Coordination Can Improve Response
Multidisciplinary review can support clearer communication, better understanding of risk, more complete service planning, and stronger connections to help.
Who May Work Together
Select a tile to see how that kind of partner may fit into a coordinated response.
Human Services
Human services professionals may be involved when a report concerns suspected dependent adult abuse, risk assessment, service planning, or coordination around the needs of the older adult.
Regulatory Agencies
Regulatory partners may be involved when concerns relate to licensed facilities, programs, standards of care, or compliance issues in regulated settings.
Law Enforcement
Law enforcement may become involved when there are immediate safety concerns, criminal acts, exploitation, or the need for investigation.
Aging Services
Aging services partners can help connect older adults and families to local support, caregiver assistance, navigation, and other community-based resources.
Long-Term Care Advocacy
Long-term care advocates may help address resident rights, care concerns, quality of life, and concerns involving nursing facilities, assisted living, or related settings.
Community Partners
Community partners may include health professionals, legal professionals, victim services, social service providers, and other professionals whose expertise helps clarify a complex situation.
How a Coordinated Response May Work
Choose a step to learn how coordinated response can unfold.
A Concern Is Identified
Concerns may begin when a family member, friend, neighbor, caregiver, professional, or resident notices changes in safety, finances, care, mood, living conditions, or treatment.
A Report Is Made
The first step is still reporting to the correct place. Coordination does not replace reporting. It supports what happens when a situation is complex or involves overlapping systems.
Information Is Reviewed
Depending on the situation, professionals may review risk, assess needs, consider available services, and determine whether additional partners should be involved.
Support and Response Follow
Depending on the facts, the response may include services, safety planning, advocacy, regulatory action, investigation, referrals, or legal action.
Example Situations
Select a situation to see how coordinated response may help behind the scenes.
Concern About a Caregiver
A coordinated response may involve reviewing safety concerns, assessing support needs, identifying the correct reporting path, and connecting the older adult or family with services or advocacy.
Concern About a Facility
In a facility setting, the response may involve regulatory oversight, resident advocacy, review of care concerns, and coordination around the resident’s safety, rights, or quality of life.
Concern About Finances
Financial exploitation may overlap with safety concerns, caregiving concerns, legal needs, and investigation. Coordination can help bring the right expertise together more quickly.
You Do Not Need to Figure Out Everything First
If you are concerned about abuse, neglect, or exploitation, you do not need to sort out every agency role before seeking help.
A coordinated response exists because these situations can be complicated. The important thing is recognizing the concern and taking the next step to report it or ask for help.
Still Need to Report a Concern?
Reporting & Preventing Elder Abuse
If you need to report a concern or are not sure where to start, visit the Reporting & Preventing Elder Abuse page for Iowa-specific guidance.
Go to reporting guidance →ILAST Legal Resources
The Iowa Attorney General’s office also provides an elder abuse legal resources and remedies booklet compiled through ILAST.
View ILAST resources →
