What is Elder Abuse?

There are many different kinds of elder abuse. Elder abuse can be in the form of: financial exploitation, neglect, isolation, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or domestic abuse. Sometimes, many different forms of abuse happen at the same time.

This section will talk about the different forms of abuse and share some stories from people who have experienced abusive situations.

Financial exploitation

You might be worried that someone is taking over your bank accounts or controlling your money. Or, you might feel like someone is trying to take advantage of you. Or, someone might be telling you that you can’t do things because they have “Power of Attorney over you.” If any of these things are true for you, someone might be financially exploiting you. Financial exploitation is a form of elder abuse that happens when someone takes your money, property, or assets without your permission.

Here is an example of financial exploitation:

Joe made his daughter the agent under his Power of Attorney thinking he might need help with paying his bills in the future. Then he started getting past due bills from credit card companies, but he did not own a credit card. He found out she had cleaned out his bank account and taken out several credit cards in his name. Joe went to Legal Services for the Elderly for help in cleaning up his debt problems and revoking the Power of Attorney.