The guardians of those most vulnerable are in communities across the country, the men and women, nurses and social workers of our Adult Protective Services (APS). Set in the fictional county of Cedarwood, Protecting the Shadow is based on real life cases encountered by Adult Protective Services. The story features five social workers, a nurse, and a deputy public guardian as they labor to provide protection and services for those who cannot safeguard or take care of themselves. The cases explore issues on the shadow side of society: hoarding, sexual assault, senile dementia, fiduciary abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, and undue influence. While the characters and settings have been fictionalized, the situations are real, intriguing, and often heart-rending. And they are all around us. Paul D. Buchanan is a professional social worker and a licensed counselor who has worked for APS for more than sixteen years. He has been training professional health care workers about Adult Protective Services since 2002. In America’s ever-aging society, someone has to pay attention to its most vulnerable members. This duty is often left to the workers of APS. Every once in a while the news media will feature an article about this organization, without ever exploring in detail its mission: to protect and support the elderly and disabled of society—until now. What do social workers actually do? Protecting the Shadow provides the answer. In this revealing book, you will learn how and why APS workers live the ultimate reality show—every day!