What is Elder Abuse?
Center for Disease Control and Prevention | National Center for Injury Prevention and Control | Division of Violence Prevention *
An intentional act or failure to act by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult.
Definitions of Elder Abuse – Subtypes
Center for Disease Control and Prevention | National Center for Injury Prevention and Control | Division of Violence Prevention *
The illegal, unauthorized, or improper use of an older individual’s resources by a caregiver or other person in a trusting relationship, for the benefit of someone other than the older individual.
Examples:
- Unauthorized use of an older adult’s funds or property, including theft of money or belongings, misuse of credit/debit cards, and identity theft for services or property acquisition.
- Occupying, selling, or transferring an elder’s property against their wishes, altering legal documents (wills, trusts) without consent, and forgery.
- Misuse of powers granted through legal mechanisms such as power of attorney, conservatorships, or joint bank account authority, including forcing the elder to sign documents.
- Unauthorized use of insurance information, changing insurance policies for personal benefit, and misappropriation of pension funds.
- Withholding access to an elder’s own money or assets and denying care for financial gain, including negligence in asset management by a fiduciary or caregiver.
Verbal or nonverbal behaviour that results in the infliction of anguish, mental pain, fear, or distress, that is perpetrated by a caregiver or other person who stands in a trust relationship to the elder.
Examples:
- Intentionally degrading, insulting, or devaluing an older person through verbal insults, public humiliation, infantilizing comments, or derogatory labels.
- Using verbal or non-verbal gestures to suggest physical, sexual, or psychological harm, neglect, abandonment, or financial exploitation, often to manipulate the older adult’s behavior. This includes threats of abandonment, harm to others, or institutionalization.
- Repeated hostile or coercive actions intended to manipulate an older adult, like following, unwanted communication, or showing up uninvited at frequented places.
- Behaviors that isolate an older adult either geographically or interpersonally, including silent treatment, restricting communication or mobility, secluding from social interactions, and withholding assistive devices.
- Ignoring or disregarding the elder’s attempts and needs for interaction, contributing to their sense of isolation and disconnection.
The intentional use of physical force that results in acute or chronic illness, bodily injury, physical pain, functional impairment, distress, or death.
Examples:
- Striking, hitting, beating, scratching, biting, choking, suffocation, slapping, kicking, stomping.
- Pushing, shoving, shaking, pinching, and burning.
- Use of medications and physical restraints, pinning in place, arm twisting.
- Hair pulling, force-feeding.
- Physical punishment of any kind.
Forced and/or unwanted sexual interaction (touching and non-touching acts) of any kind with an older adult.
Examples:
- Forced or unwanted sexual penetration.
- Non-consensual oral-genital contact.
- Unwanted penetration by objects or fingers.
- Inappropriate touching of intimate areas.
- Non-physical sexual abuse, including forced exposure to pornography, sexual photography, voyeurism, and sexual harassment.
Elder neglect by a caregiver, leading to insufficient medical care, nutrition, hygiene, and shelter, significantly endangering the elder’s health and safety.
Examples:
- Medical Care Neglect: Not meeting the needs for essential medical or dental care, adversely affecting the physical, mental, or psychological well-being of the elderly.
- Nutritional Neglect: Failing to ensure adequate food intake or making poor food choices leading to health issues or nutritional deficiencies.
- Hydration Neglect: Not providing or ensuring sufficient fluid intake or adequate water consumption.
- Hygiene Neglect: Overlooking regular bathing, grooming practices, and proper disposal of bodily waste, while considering community-specific hygiene standards.
- Shelter and Clothing Neglect: Failing to provide suitable clothing for the weather and conditions, or a safe and sanitary living environment, in line with community and cultural norms.
