CLEVELAND — Abuse and neglect reports to Cuyahoga County’s Adult Protective Services are on pace to set another record this year, and officials fear they may be getting more serious, as evidenced by one recent — and potentially life-threatening — case.
Earlier this summer, workers from APS’ new behavioral health unit were checking on an elderly woman reported to have memory and cognitive concerns when they smelled gas in the home. They called the gas company, which found that a portable generator designed for outdoor use had been hooked up to the woman’s furnace inside her home.
Without proper ventilation, it had been leaking a substantial amount of natural gas into the house. One spark – even static electricity from walking on the carpet – could have ignited an explosion, Natasha Pietrocola, director of the county’s Division of Senior and Adult Services, said…