define dependent adult
Dependent adult. A dependent adult is an adult who is not a senior citizen and who needs assistance to carry out normal activities or to protect their rights, or who is in a hospital for at least a 24-hour stay. Dependent adults have special rights and protections from abuse. After the age of 64, a person who might otherwise be considered a dependent adult is afforded other rights and protections as a senior citizen or elder. Laws regulating dependent adult abuse are very similar or identical to those governing elder abuse. The definition is similar from state to state.