Abuse of the elderly or persons with disabilities may be physical or psychological. Abuse may be committed by a caregiver or household member or in a nursing home or other facility.
Abuse can occur even when there is genuine love and affection between the people involved.
Forms of abuse may be physical, emotional, financial, or a combination of the three. It may be difficult to tell whether abuse is occurring. It can be even more difficult to get the people in the situation to talk about it. Abuse may be hidden by isolation or disguised by what seems to be a pleasant home or facility setting. Abuse can begin with seemingly normal conflicts and negative interactions that gradually escalate to abusive situations.