A vulnerable adult is defined in 'No Secrets' (the Government's Guidance on Adult Abuse) as: - 'a person aged 18 years or over, who is in receipt of or may be in need of community care services by reason of 'mental or other disability, age or illness and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation'.
What is meant by Abuse
Abuse is defined in 'No Secrets' as the 'violation of an individual's human or civil rights by any other person or persons'. Examples of this include :
- Physical abuse - anything that causes pain or injury
- Sexual abuse
- Psychological abuse - including threats of harm or abandonment, humiliation, intimidation, verbal abuse, isolation or withdrawal from services or supportive networks, withholding affection
- Financial or material abuse - including theft, pressure in connection with wills, property or inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property
- Neglect and acts of omission
- Discriminatory abuse
- Domestic violence
- Poor professional practice
- Institutional Abuse
- Stranger Abuse
- Harm