How are vulnerable adults abused?
Abuse is mistreatment or neglect and can be any of the following: • physical – hurting or harming someone by punching, pinching, pulling, restraining or knowingly giving out the wrong medication • sexual abuse – rape, sexual assault, or any sexual activity the vulnerable adult has not agreed to • emotional – threats of force, harm or abandonment; humiliation or intimidation • financial – theft, fraud or misuse of the person’s property, possessions or benefits • neglect – ignoring the person’s medical or physical needs; preventing access to health and social care or education • discriminatory – remarks or harassment based on race, gender, sexual orientation or disability • institutional – poor or inadequate care, neglect or poor practice within a residential home, nursing home or hospital, affecting the whole of the service. Any of these forms of abuse can be either deliberate or the result of ignorance, lack of training, knowledge or understanding. People are often abused in more than
