What are the forms of elder abuse?
The four common kinds of elder abuse are: (1) physical abuse, the infliction of physical pain or injury, e.g., slapping, bruising, sexually molesting, restraining; (2) psychological abuse, the infliction of mental anguish, e.g., humiliating, intimidating, threatening; (3) financial abuse, the improper or illegal use of the resources of an older person, without his/her consent, for someone else’s benefit; and (4) neglect, failure to fulfill a care taking obligation to provide goods or services, e.g., abandonment, denial of food or health-related services. All states provide laws prohibiting elder abuse, and most have state agencies, such as adult protective services, to help achieve compliance with those laws. Some states operate hotlines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Criminal and financial penalties can generally provided.
The four most common forms of elder abuse are physical abuse (including sexual abuse), psychological and emotional abuse, financial/material abuse, and neglect. Return to Top Physical Abuse: Includes behavior toward an elderly person which results in bodily harm, injury, unnecessary pain, unreasonable confinement, punishment, coercion, or mental distress. Examples of physical abuse include: the infliction of injury, such as dislocation or bone fracture; slapping, cuts, burns; bruises, especially if several exist of different colors which may indicate repeated injuries; bites, lacerations, pushing, shoving, kicking; dehydration or loss of weight without a medical explanation; untreated bedsores or poor skin hygiene, etc. Also included are the use of physical restraints for punishment, in the case of victims in long-term care facilities, and unnecessary pulling, tugging or twisting of the body by the staff when working with the older resident. Sometimes signs of physical abuse are not ob
