My mother lives with my brother and his wife. Last time I visited, I noticed that my sister-in-law was very rude to my mother and my mother had a large burn on her arm. Her explanation seemed unlikely. I am worried she is being abused. What kinds of actions constitute physical abuse?

Physical abuse is caused by inflicting physical harm upon an older adult. For example, hitting, pushing, slapping, or injuring an older adult in any way would be physical abuse.

Physical abuse also covers behaviours such as

• sedating a person through over-medication;
• under-medicating a person when drugs are needed for a medical problem;
• deliberately exposing a person to severe weather;
• physically confining the person for long periods of time, whether it be to a chair, a room, a bed, or a house.

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January 2006

see also:

• More Abuse of Older Adults FAQs

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