Vulnerable people

Vulnerable adult abuse happens when a vulnerable adult or older person is hurt, bullied, mistreated, exploited or neglected. The abuse can come from anyone who has contact with the person and is someone they know and ought to feel safe with. Any vulnerable adult can be subjected to abuse; it doesn’t matter if they're male or female, rich or poor, or whether or not they're disabled.

Vulnerable adult abuse happens in different ways. It includes physical abuse, where the abuser hits, pushes, kicks, treats the person roughly or worse. This treatment may leave the vulnerable adult with physical as well as psychological damage.

Abuse also includes mental abuse or bullying. This could involve threats, name-calling, insults and meanness. Making a vulnerable person feel scared, frightened, unhappy or depressed is all part of bullying.

Other kinds of abuse

Abuse can be sexual, for instance being touched or hit in private places, or even being sexually assaulted. Sexual abuse can be verbal too, through comments and jokes that make the older person feel threatened or embarrassed.

Vulnerable adults can also be subjected to financial abuse or theft. This can be as straightforward as someone stealing money or valuables, or any item they know the person cares about. It can also involve keeping some or all the money that should be used to pay bills or not handing over the change after a shopping trip.

Neglect is also a form of abuse. This includes not providing enough or the right kind of food for a vulnerable adult, or not taking good enough care of them. Leaving someone unwashed or in dirty or wet clothes, not getting them to a doctor when they need one or not making sure they have the right medicines all count as neglect.

Unintended abuse

Not all cases of abuse are intentional. It can happen because the people looking after a vulnerable adult don't have the training or knowledge they need. A friend or family member may, while trying to help a vulnerable adult, bruise them because they haven't been shown how to help them up from a chair.

Vulnerable adults may need more time to walk from one room to another, or may have fixed ideas about when they want to eat and what food they would like. Anyone who has contact with a vulnerable adult may unintentionally cause distress by not allowing them enough time to complete a task or by not finding out about their likes and dislikes. Frustration can also set in, and it may be difficult for a friend, relative or carer not to pass this on.

Vulnerable adults can be subject to abuse by the people they should be able to trust. Sometimes, although it’s very rare, this can come from a family member who is their carer. More commonly abuse comes from people who have a family link, friends, paid carers and health professionals.

Abuse of elderly people can happen for a wide variety of reasons and take many different patterns. Sometimes abuse happens just once, possibly as a result of a sudden outburst. In other cases, abuse may be premeditated, happen repeatedly and, if not stopped, can go on for years. Understanding why it happens may help you notice when it's happening to someone you know.

Sometimes abuse happens because the carer or someone close to the elderly person doesn’t know how to lift or physically support them. This lack of knowledge and training can result in bruising, falls and other injuries.

Older people, especially those who need a lot of care, tend to move slowly, respond slowly to questions and conversation and may be confused or repeat themselves often. Frustration with the elderly person can result in rough handling and anger.

Abuse may happen because of a long-standing pattern of behaviour within a family. Perhaps the people involved have never got on well or there's a history of aggressive or violent behaviour.

The primary carer is rarely responsible for abuse, but it's possible they, a family member or friend may find caring too difficult and stressful. They may not be able to give the care the elderly person needs or may find their caring role has cut them off from their old life, leaving them isolated.

The carer may have health problems themselves. Research by Carers UK has shown that carers who give high levels of care to a relative or friend are more than twice as likely to have poor health as people who aren't carers.

Abuse can also happen when someone is being cared for in hospital or in a residential, nursing or other type of home. The hospital or home may not be managed very well and the staff not supported properly, spending much of their work time working alone. Lack of proper training and supervision can also contribute to elder abuse.

It's not always easy to spot the symptoms of abuse. Someone being abused may make excuses for why they're bruised, they don’t want to go out or talk to people, or they're short of money. It's important to know the signs of abuse. Then you can gently share your concerns with the person being abused. If you wait, hoping the person will tell you what's been happening to them, you could delay matters and allow the abuse to continue.

Behaviour signs to watch out for include:

• becoming quiet and withdrawn,
• being aggressive or angry for no obvious reason,
• looking unkempt, dirty or thinner than usual,
• sudden changes in their normal character, such as appearing helpless, depressed or tearful,
• physical signs of abuse, such as bruises, wounds, fractures and other untreated injuries,
• the same injuries happening more than once,
• not wanting to be left on their own or alone with particular people, and
• being unusually light-hearted and insisting there's nothing wrong.

There are also material signs to watch out for, such as a sudden change in their finances, not having as much money as usual to pay for shopping or regular outings, or getting into debt. Watch out, for any official or financial documents that seem unusual, and for documents relating to their finances that suddenly go missing.

If you feel someone you know is showing signs of abuse, talk to them to see if there's anything you can do to help. If they're being abused they may not want to talk about it straight away, especially if they've become used to making excuses for their injuries or change in personality. Don't ignore your concerns, though. That could allow any abuse to carry on.

If you think an older person is being abused, don't ignore your concerns. It could make a huge difference to that person to have someone talk about the subject with them and help bring everything out into the open. You can also assure the person they're not on their own and there are people and organisations ready to help.

Start by talking to the older person in private. Mention some of the things that concern you, for instance that they've become depressed and withdrawn, been losing weight or seem to be short of money. Let them talk as much as they want. If they've been abused they may be reluctant to talk about it because they're afraid of making the situation worse or because they don't want to cause trouble.

It's best not to say you won't tell anyone what you've heard. If an older person is being abused it’s important to find help for them and stop the abuse. Stay calm while the older person is talking, even if you're upset by what you hear, otherwise they may become more upset themselves and stop telling you what's been going on.

If you're right and the older person has been abused, ask them what they'd like you to do. Tell them about the different organisations and people who can help. Say you can go to them on their behalf if they want or if it's difficult for them to do so themselves. It's important to listen to what they say and not to charge into action if this isn't what they want.

It can be very difficult for an abused older person to talk about what's been happening to them. Unless you're concerned for their immediate health and safety and feel it's vital to act straight away, give them time to think about what they’d like to do.

Who to contact

Don’t keep your worries to yourself. After the older person has told you about their situation, you might want to talk to other people who know the person you’re worried about to find out if they have similar concerns.

There are also professionals you can contact. You can pass on your concerns to the person’s GP and social worker. Local authorities have social workers who deal specifically with cases of abuse. Call your local council and ask for the Adult Protection or Safeguarding Co-ordinator. You can also speak to the police about the situation. Some forms of abuse are crimes so the police will be interested.

You can also call the Action on Elder Abuse helpline, free and in confidence, on 0808 808 8141. If the person is in danger or needs medical attention, call the emergency services.