Reporting suspected cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment of elderly persons

persons (a) Persons required by law to report instances of abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment of an elderly person shall report such information within five calendar days to the Commissioner or to the Commissioner's designee. (1) Persons required to make such reports are any physician or surgeon licensed under the provisions of Chapter 370 or 371 of the Connecticut General Statutes, any resident physician or intern in any hospital in this state, whether or not so licensed, any registered nurse, any nursing home administrator, nurse's aide or orderly in a nursing home facility, any person paid for caring for a patient in a nursing home facility, any staff person employed by a nursing home facility, any patient's advocate and any licensed practical nurse, medical examiner, dentist, osteopath, optometrist, chiropractor, podiatrist, social worker, clergyperson, police officer, pharmacist or physical therapist, who has reasonable cause to suspect or believe that any elderly person has been abused, neglected, exploited or abandoned or is in a condition which is the result of such abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment, or who is in need of protective services, shall within five calendar days report such information or cause a report to be made in any reasonable manner to the Commissioner or to the person or persons designated by him to receive such reports. Any person required to report under the provisions of this section who fails to make such report shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars. (2) This report shall include the name and address of the elderly persons, description of the abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment being reported, as well as any other information which the person making the report believes may be helpful in the investigation of the case or the protection of the victim. (b) Any other person who has reasonable cause to believe that an elderly person is being, or has been, abused, neglected, exploited or abandoned or is in need of protective services, may report the matter to the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee. (c) Treatment of an elderly person by a Christian Science practitioner, rather than by a licensed physician or medical practitioner, shall not of itself constitute grounds for the implementation of protective services.