Any harm done to an older person that is violent or abusive constitutes elder abuse.
Elder abuse is often a crime.
Victims of elder abuse often know and trust their abuser. Most victims of elder abuse depend on the people who hurt them, sometimes for food, shelter, personal care, or companionship. Nor is an older person s self-neglect considered to be elder abuse. Neglect is another kind of elder abuse. Sometimes neglect is criminal negligence, a deliberate failure to a dependent s needs.