Abuse of Vulnerable Adults

Abuse of vulnerable adults

There are a number of different forms of abuse that can take place when working with vulnerable adults. Some examples of these are:

• Physical Abuse – (physical force or violence that results in injury or pain)
• Sexual Abuse – (any sort of sexual contact which is carried out without consent from the person involved)
• Emotional/Psychological Abuse – (abuse that may result in psychological trauma such as anxiety, depression etc)
• Neglect – (not meeting a person’s basic physical and emotional needs)
• Bullying – (unwanted or aggressive behaviour that is used to intimidate or dominate others)
• Domestic Abuse (pattern of behaviour which involves violence or other abuse in a domestic setting such as a marriage or relationship.

Usually when a type of abuse is taking place, there will be indicators that can show this. The most obvious would be signs of physical abuse as the individual would most likely have unexplained injuries such as fractures, bruises or burns. When someone is being abused, there will most likely be emotional indicators as well.  For example, they will most likely be more withdrawn and isolate themselves from others as they become scared and fearful of people. They also might be more nervous and flinch away from people when they try to touch them. Their self-esteem will probably be lowered as well and they might become depressed and not want to interact with anyone.

 If someone is being neglected it will most likely become obvious only after a certain period of time, when they start to lose weight and become malnourished. Their clothes may also be in bad condition and their personal hygiene may be bad if they are unable to clean by themselves and there is no one to help them.

People that may abuse vulnerable adults are usually people that have access to them and are able to have time alone with them. This can include people such as care workers as they are the people who primarily provide most of the care for an individual and so spend a lot of time with them. It is not only care workers that can abuse vulnerable adults though, as even family members can do this, though they may not realise it. For example, a lot of adults may be neglected simply because relatives do not have the time to come and care for them every day or help them with things. So although this is not intentional it is still considered abuse if they do not find someone who can provide the proper care.