Generally, elder abuse is any activity or inaction by anyone having liability for the well-being of an elder, reliant, or disabled adult that results in the deprival of services or products that are necessary to prevent actual damage or psychological struggling.
This deprival usually is described as one of the following classifications:
Neglect – Neglect typically means the rejection or failing to provide an elder, dependent or disabled person with such life requirements as food, water, outfits, protection, individual cleanliness, medication, comfort, individual safety, and other requirements involved in an intended or agreed-upon liability to an elder.
Symptoms of neglect include but are not restricted to:
Symptoms of physical misuse include but are not limited to:
Financial Abuse- Financial or material exploitation is determined as the unlawful or inappropriate use of an elder's sources, property, or funds.
Signs of financial exploitation include but are not restricted to:
This deprival usually is described as one of the following classifications:
Neglect – Neglect typically means the rejection or failing to provide an elder, dependent or disabled person with such life requirements as food, water, outfits, protection, individual cleanliness, medication, comfort, individual safety, and other requirements involved in an intended or agreed-upon liability to an elder.
Symptoms of neglect include but are not restricted to:
- dehydration, lack of nutrition, without treatment bed blisters, and inadequate personal hygiene;
- unattended or without treatment health problems;
- hazardous or risky living condition/arrangements (e.g., inappropriate cabling, no heat, or no running water);
- unsanitary and dirty living conditions (e.g. dust, ticks, head lice on person, much dirty bed linens, fecal/urine fragrance, insufficient clothing); and an elder's report of being misused.
Symptoms of physical misuse include but are not limited to:
- bruises, black eyes, welts, lacerations, and string marks;
- bone accidents, brittle bone fragments, and head fractures;
- open injuries, cuts, holes, without treatment accidents in various stages of healing;
- sprains, dislocations, and internal injuries/bleeding;
- broken eyeglasses/frames
- an elder's unexpected change in behavior; and
- Caregiver’s rejection to allow visitors to see an elder alone
- the desertion of an elder at a medical center, a medical service, or other identical institution;
- the desertion of an elder at a shopping mall or other community location; and an elder's own report of being discontinued.
Financial Abuse- Financial or material exploitation is determined as the unlawful or inappropriate use of an elder's sources, property, or funds.
Signs of financial exploitation include but are not restricted to:
- sudden changes in savings account or financial exercise, such as an unexplained withdrawal of a large amount of money by a person associated with the elder;
- unauthorized withdrawal of the elder's sources using the elder's ATM card; abrupt changes in a will or other financial documents;