Elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation can happen to any senior. There are victims among all communities, income levels, races, and religions. Every senior has a right to live free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. There is no excuse for harming a senior. Elder abuse is a crime, though often a hidden one.
Abuse can take many forms, including but not limited to:
•confinement
•infliction of injury
•mental abuse
•depriving senior of food
•depriving senior of needed assistive devices like walkers or wheelchairs
•sexual assault
•depriving senior of medical care
A senior who has bruises or substantial weight loss without reasonable explanation, inadequate medical care or missing medicine, or substantial change in personality may be a victim of abuse or neglect.
For more information, see: W. Va. Code §16-5S-11 (2015).