What Is Elder Abuse?

Under Connecticut law, elder abuse includes the willful infliction of physical pain, injury or mental anguish, or the willful deprivation by a caretaker of services that are necessary to maintain physical and mental health.  Elder abuse also includes neglect, exploitation, and/or abandonment of an elderly person older than 60.

The U.S. Department of Justice says 11 percent – 1 in 9 – of Americans older than 60 experienced elder abuse the past year.

In the majority of cases, the abuser is a family member or trusted individual of the person being abused.

The many forms of elder abuse:

• Financial exploitation: The illegal taking, misuse or concealment of funds, property or assets of a vulnerable elder person;
• Neglect and/or abandonment: Desertion or failure to provide food, shelter, health care or protection for a vulnerable elder person;
• Physical: Inflicting or threatening to inflict physical pain or injury;
• Sexual: Non-consensual sexual contact of any kind;
• Emotional and verbal: Inflicting mental or emotional anguish or distress on an elder person;

Warning signs of elder abuse include:

• Unexplained withdrawal from normal activities and unusual depression;
• Sudden changes in financial situations;
• Bruises, pressure marks, broken bones, abrasions, burns;
• Unusual weight loss, poor hygiene, bedsores, unattended medical needs;
• Belittling, threats and other uses of power and control by a caregiver;
• Strained or tense relationships between a caregiver and elderly person.