In short
ADFAN — the Families and Children Administration of the Department of the Family — has run an Adult Services Programme since 1972 for two populations: people 60 or over and adults 18 or over with physical disabilities. Services are requested at the Department of the Family’s regional and local offices and include information and referral to community resources, individual, group and community counseling, in-home auxiliary services (what many people know as ama de llaves), substitute care, the informal caregivers registry and fall-prevention education. The programme also handles abuse of older adults and adults with disabilities under Act 121-2019: physical, emotional and financial abuse, neglect, abandonment, exploitation and sexual abuse. For abuse emergencies there is a hotline: (787) 749-1333 or 1-800-981-8333.
What is it?
It is the arm of the Department of the Family providing social services to adults who need support to keep living with dignity: elders and adults with physical disabilities. It is not a check or an economic benefit; it is services — a social worker who orients, a referral to the right resource, auxiliary help at home, substitute care when the person cannot stay alone, and protective intervention when there is abuse or neglect. The programme has existed since 1972 and is delivered through the Department of the Family’s regional and local offices across the island.
Who can do it?
Two populations: people 60 or over, and adults 18 or over with physical disabilities. Services are provided upon request — by the person themselves or by someone who cares about them. For abuse intervention under Act 121-2019 there is no "qualifying": anyone can report a situation of abuse, neglect, abandonment or exploitation of an older adult or an adult with disabilities, and the programme handles it.
Requirements
- Being 60 or over, or being an adult 18 or over with physical disabilities.Verified against the official source
- Requesting the service at the Department of the Family regional or local office covering your municipality.Verified against the official source
Documents you need
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: If there is abuse or danger: call first
For situations of abuse, neglect, abandonment or exploitation of an older adult or adult with disabilities, the abuse hotline answers at (787) 749-1333 and 1-800-981-8333. Act 121-2019 covers physical, emotional and financial abuse, neglect, abandonment, exploitation and sexual abuse. If there is immediate danger, 9-1-1.
Step 2: For services: go to your local Family office
Programme services are requested at the Department of the Family’s regional and local offices. Explain the person’s situation: the range includes information and referral, guidance and counseling (individual, group and community, through social work and family orientation), in-home auxiliary services, substitute care and the informal caregivers registry. For general guidance, ADFAN also has a line: (787) 977-8022 and 1-888-359-7777.
Step 3: Ask for the service by its name
Naming the service helps the referral land in the right place. "In-home auxiliary services" is the homemaker help for a person who cannot manage the chores alone; "substitute care" is for when the person needs placement outside their home; the "informal caregivers registry" recognizes those who care without being formal providers. The fine details of each service are in the programme’s brochures, which we did not read: ask the office for the brochure of the service you are interested in.
Step 4: Combine this with the other help for older adults
ADFAN handles social services, but an older adult’s full situation usually needs more pieces: support from their children through ASUME’s Prospera programme, the Act 173 rent subsidy if they pay rent, and OPPEA’s bill of rights and complaint route. Each has its own PRFácil guide.
Where to do it
At the Department of the Family’s regional and local offices in your municipality. ADFAN central level: Edificio Roosevelt Plaza, 185 Avenida Roosevelt, Hato Rey; PO Box 194090, San Juan, PR 00919-4090; phone (787) 625-4900; email info@adfan.pr.gov. Abuse hotline: (787) 749-1333 and 1-800-981-8333. Guidance line: (787) 977-8022 and 1-888-359-7777.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
If you don’t know which local office covers you, call ADFAN’s guidance line or (787) 625-4900 and ask for your town’s Adult Services Programme. If what you reported is abuse and you feel nothing happened, insist through the abuse hotline and note the date and name of whoever took your call. If the person needs something ADFAN does not provide — money, housing, support from their children — see the related guides: ADFAN’s social services and economic aid run through different channels, and asking in the wrong channel only adds weeks.
Common mistakes
- Not asking for help because "that is only for the elderly": the programme also covers adults 18 or over with physical disabilities.
- Looking for money at ADFAN. The programme provides social services — counseling, homemaker help, substitute care, protection — not economic benefits.
- Waiting for the older person to ask for help themselves. Services activate upon request, and whoever cares about the person can make the contact.
- Reporting abuse only to the Police. ADFAN’s abuse hotline activates Act 121-2019 protective intervention, an additional route, not a substitute.
- Giving up if the first contact does not resolve: note names and dates, call again, and use the guidance line to escalate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the homemaker (ama de llaves) service?
The programme page lists it as "in-home auxiliary services": help at home for a person who cannot manage the chores alone. The exact criteria and service hours are in the programme brochure, which we did not read; ask for it at your local office when applying.
How do I report abuse of an older adult?
Call the abuse hotline: (787) 749-1333 or 1-800-981-8333. Act 121-2019 covers physical, emotional and financial abuse, neglect, abandonment, exploitation and sexual abuse of older adults and adults with disabilities. With immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
I care for my mother without pay. Is there anything for me?
The programme page mentions an informal caregivers registry among its services. What concrete benefits being in the registry carries we could not read at the source, so ask your local office what registering as a caregiver offers you.
Does ADFAN pay for care homes?
The page lists "substitute care" and long-term care facilities among the programme’s services, and publishes a registry of licensed centers. How it is paid and who qualifies for placement is not in what we read: that is exactly the question to take to the local office or the guidance line.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Departamento de la Familia
Familia
adfan.pr.gov
- ADFAN portal, Families and Children Administration
Familia
adfan.pr.gov
Last verified
August 16, 2026
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Protecting an older adult in Puerto Rico: protection order, support and criminal complaint
The three Ley 121-2019 remedies, who can seek them — anyone with an interest — and why breaching the order is a felony.
Prospera: support for people 60 or over, from their adult children
ASUME’s Prospera programme lets older adults seek support from their adult descendants, through administrative mediation or the court.
Complaint over an older adult’s rights (OPPEA)
The Office can order corrective action, investigate on its own initiative and inspect. And there is an Ombudsman for care homes.
Up to $400 a month towards rent if you are 60 or over
The Act 173 subsidy pays up to $400 a month of rent, directly to the landlord, for older adults with low income.