Abuse in later life can take many forms, and different types of abuse can occur together. Learn more about different types of abuse in later life by clicking the titles below:
Note that this section does not give legal definitions of crimes.
Financial Exploitation
Financial exploitation is the illegal or improper use of an older person’s money, assets, or property. It also means deceiving, harassing, intimidating, or using undue influence to get an older person to do something against their will. It includes:
- stealing, or withdrawing more than an older person agreed to
- forging an older person’s signature on a check or other document
- coercing an older person to sign a document or part with their money, assets, or property when they don’t want to
- routinely threatening to put an older person “in a nursing home” if they don’t hand over money or sign over legal documents like a deed or car title
- misusing a power of attorney or one’s court-appointed role as conservator or guardian of an older person for one’s own personal use, rather than for the benefit of the older person
Neglect
Neglect is the failure by a caregiver of an older person to provide the person with necessities like food, water, shelter, personal hygiene, medical, or comfort needs and other essentials. It also includes a caregiver’s failure to provide these things in a timely manner or with the degree of care that a reasonable person in the same situation would use.
Examples of neglect include a caregiver’s failure to:
- call a medical provider when treatment is needed
- provide needed medications at all, or provide them in a timely manner
- provide adequate food or liquids, or appropriate clothing or hygiene
- ensure that the older person has needed assistive devices like dentures, wheelchair, eyeglasses or hearing aids, or failure to keep these in good repair
- keep an older person’s habitation safe and sanitary, resulting in a hazardous environment
Neglect can also occur where a caregiver knowingly uses harassment, undue influence, or intimidation to create a hostile or fearful environment for an older person.
Who is a Caregiver?
A caregiver is someone who:
- is responsible for the care of an older person as a result of a family or legal relationship, or
- has assumed responsibility for the care of an older person, or
- is paid to provide care or services to an older person
A caregiver can be a family member, a home health provider, a facility staff member, or a neighbor who has agreed to provide recurring assistance to help an older person meet his/her basic needs.
- Doing occasional shopping or cleaning for an older person doesn’t mean that someone has assumed responsibility for an older person’s care.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is the infliction of non-accidental physical injury or pain. It also includes unreasonable confinement or restraint of an older person. Some examples of physical abuse are:
- hitting, biting, pinching, slapping, kicking an older person
- roughly handling an older person and causing pain or injury
- leaving an older person alone and tied to a bed or wheelchair for long periods of time for “safety reasons”
- using medication without medical reason to limit an older person’s movement or control their behavior
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse means subjecting an older person to unlawful sexual conduct or contact. It can include:
- rape or other criminal sexual assault
- showing an older person sexually explicit images or video without their consent
- touching genitals during care without a medical or hygienic reason
- taking pictures or video of an older person in various stages of undress without their consent
Emotional/Psychological Abuse
Emotional or psychological abuse might accompany other types of abuse, and may involve actions like making threats, bullying, shaming, intimidating, belittling, or controlling an older person, causing significant distress or emotional harm.
