Defining Elder Abuse

The term “elder abuse” is a term that is commonly used to describe a various actions that causes harm to an elderly person. According to the Administration on Aging, elder abused is defined as any type of negligence or action by a caregiver or family member that causes harm or serious risk to an elderly individual.

There are several different types of elderly abuse, these include

• Neglect – This type of abuse would include the refusal to provide the basic necessities to an elderly person by those that are responsible for that person; some examples would include health care, shelter, food, clothing, medicine, etc.
• Sexual Abuse – An elderly person is being sexually abused if they are forced into any type of sexual contact and they have not or cannot give their consent.
• Physical Abuse – Someone that is being physically harmed or threatened with physical harm or pain is being physically abused. In addition, depriving someone of basic needs is also considered to be physical abuse.
• Emotional Abuse – If a caregiver inflicts mental and emotional pain on someone with verbal assaults or not talking to the person at all, this would be considered emotional or physiological abuse.
• Financial Exploitation – This would include illegally taking, misusing or hiding funds, assets or property of an elderly person.
• Abandoning – This type of abuse occurs when someone that is responsible for the care of an elderly person deserts or abandons them. For example, if an elderly person needs 24-hour care, and the person that was responsible for that care left them alone to run to the market, this would be considered abandonment and neglect.

Elder abuse is a serious issue, and cases of abuse are on the rise. The increase in elder abuse could be due to the fact that people are living longer, and as a result there are more elderly people that require caregivers today. Whatever the cause, elder abuse is a major problem in today’s society that needs to be addressed.

If you suspect that your loved one may be suffering from elder abuse, it is essential that you contact the proper authorities at once, and remove the person from the care of the person that is abusing them.

Davidov Law Group is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys.