What can I do if an older adult is being abused?

As people get older, they often need more help from others. This can make them more likely to be abused.

Types of abuse

Abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, or financial. It can also be abuse if a person is neglected or not cared for properly. Neglect happens when someone agrees to provide care to an but does not look after their basic needs.

All abuse is wrong. But not all abuse is a crime. For example, if a tells someone they're worthless, that's abuse. But it's not a crime. If the caregiver hits the person, that's a crime.

What can you do

If you think that someone is being abused and it's an emergency, call 911.

Other things you may want to do, include:

  • call your local police station if you think there's been a crime, such as physical or sexual assault, or a financial crime like theft, , or abuse of a Power of Attorney
  • report the abuse, or suspected abuse, if the person lives in a licensed or licensed
  • help the person report the abuse if they're getting home or community care services from the suspected abuser
  • learn about the types of abuse
  • find out about community resources
  • talk to the person you think is being abused
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