I am sure that my neighbour is being abused by her son. Is abuse of the elderly a crime?

There is no specific criminal offence of elderly abuse. There are various criminal offences, however, that might apply to different forms of elder abuse:

• physical abuse could be a form of assault or sexual assault;
• financial abuse could be an offence such as theft, fraud, or extortion; and
• neglect might be covered by the offence of criminal neglect.

The vast majority of the criminal law of Canada is set out in the Criminal Code, which applies to all provinces and territories in Canada. The Code can be seen online.

More information about specific types of abuse and which criminal offences might apply in each case can be found on the OakNet website.

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January 2006

see also:

• More Abuse of Older Adults FAQs

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