6 Types of Elder AbuseExplained

Definition: Physical abuse is the intentional use of physical force that results in bodily injury, pain, or impairment. It includes hitting, slapping, punching, kicking, pushing, pinching, burning, and the inappropriate use of physical or chemical restraints.

Physical abuse in nursing homes is often perpetrated by CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistants) under extreme stress from understaffing, and it disproportionately targets residents with dementia who cannot report what happened.

Definition: Emotional or psychological abuse involves the infliction of anguish, pain, or distress through verbal or nonverbal acts. It includes threatening, intimidating, humiliating, ridiculing, harassing, blaming, and isolating the victim from family or friends.

This is often the most difficult form of abuse to detect because it leaves no visible marks and victims may not recognize it as abuse — or may be too embarrassed or afraid to report it.

Definition: Financial exploitation — the most commonly reported type of elder abuse — involves the illegal or improper use of an elderly person's funds, property, or assets. Perpetrators may include nursing home staff, family members, attorneys, or financial professionals.

Common methods include forging signatures, stealing cash or credit cards, misusing power of attorney, changing wills or beneficiary designations, making unauthorized ATM withdrawals, and scamming through phone or internet schemes.

Definition: Sexual abuse is any non-consensual sexual contact of any kind with an older adult. This includes unwanted touching, sexual assault, rape, forced nudity, and exposure to sexually explicit material. A person with dementia cannot legally consent to sexual activity.

Sexual abuse in nursing homes is underreported and underinvestigated. Perpetrators are most commonly other residents or staff members. The cognitive and communication impairments common in nursing home residents make them particularly vulnerable.

Definition: Neglect is the failure by a caregiver to fulfill their obligations to an elderly person — including providing adequate food, water, shelter, clothing, hygiene, medical care, or supervision. Neglect may be intentional (willful withholding) or unintentional (inadequate staffing, poor training).

Neglect is the most common form of elder abuse and causes serious injury and death. See our complete nursing home neglect guide →

Definition: Abandonment occurs when a person who has assumed responsibility for providing care to an elder deserts them. This may be a family caregiver who leaves without making other arrangements, or a paid caregiver who walks off the job leaving the person unattended.

In a nursing home context, abandonment can occur when the facility fails to arrange appropriate care during staff shortages or when discharging a resident without proper planning. Both have caused serious injuries and death.