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The Department is hereby empowered to adopt the rules, norms, regulations and forms, as well as to establish the procedures necessary to enforce the provisions of this chapter. The Department shall have the power to intervene in all situations of abuse, institutional abuse, abuse by negligence, and abuse by institutional negligence. Likewise, it shall be responsible for the prevention, identification, investigation, protecting supervision and social treatment of all elderly persons who are victims of abuse, institutional abuse, abuse by negligence and/or abuse by institutional negligence, and their families, including the bringing and presenting of the pertinent legal actions before the court. The Department shall likewise have the functions and responsibilities delegated to it by this chapter.The Department shall establish a Direct Emergency and Assistance Line for Elderly Persons to be denominated 'Golden Hotline,' and provide all necessary resources, including a special communications system free of charge, through which elderly persons and/or any citizen may report situations of emergency, abuse or negligence twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week.

ial communications system free of charge, through which elderly persons and/or any citizen may report situations of emergency, abuse or negligence twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week. History —July 12, 1986, No. 121, p. 389, added as § 7 on Dec. 17, 2003, No. 305, § 4.