Elder abuse is abuse against a senior; the abuse takes many different forms:

• Financial abuse is any action taken without the older adult's consent that causes a monetary or personal gain to the abuser and/or monetary or personal loss for the older adult. Financial abuse also includes tricking, threatening or persuading older adults out of their money and or possessions. Misusing a power of attorney is a common form of financial abuse.
• Emotional abuse is any action, verbal or non-verbal, that lessens an older adult's sense of identity, dignity and self-worth. It includes threats, insults, intimidation, humiliation, treating the older adult like a child, and restricting the senior's contact with family and friends.
• Physical abuse is any act of violence or rough handling that may or may not result in physical injury but causes physical discomfort or pain. Giving a person too much or too little medication, or physically restraining a person, are also forms of physical abuse.
• Sexual abuse is any sexual behavior directed toward an older adult without that person's full knowledge and consent, including verbal or suggestive behaviour, not respecting personal privacy, sexual touching, and sexual intercourse.
• Neglect is not meeting the basic needs of the older person, such as food, clothing, medical attention, necessary supervision, and shelter. It can be intentional or unintentional. Unintentional neglect usually happens due to the caregiver's lack of knowledge, experience, or ability.
• Systemic abuse (also called institutional abuse) refers to rules, regulations, laws, policies, or social practices that harm or discriminate against older adults. Systemic/institutional abuse includes rules and practices developed for an apparently neutral purpose, but that disproportionately harm older adults. For example, funding long term care homes more than home care disproportionately leads to institutionalization of older adults. Staffing shortages in care facilities can lead to systemic neglect.
• Overlap among types of abuse - example: home takeover An older adult can experience more than one type of abuse at the same time. For example, older adults sometimes experience a home takeover in which an older adult is forced to accommodate unwanted guests in their home. A home takeover is a form of financial abuse because the older adult has lost control of their home. However, a home takeover is also a form of emotional abuse because the older adult feels powerless to force the unwanted guests to leave due to threats of harm/intimidation or out of fear that they will lose their relationship with the friend/family member who is the unwanted guest.

Emergencies:

• If the situation is an emergency and you believe that the person for whom you are concerned is at risk, call 9-1-1.
• The Seniors Assistance Team, OPP ask you to call the police (OPP detachment/local police) if you suspect or know of any elder abuse
• Seniors crime stoppers 1-800-222-8477, Crime Stoppers

To report abuse

• Senior's Safety Line - 1-866-299-1011. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in over 150 languages. The hotline is a toll-free, confidential resource for seniors suffering abuse, including financial, physical, sexual and mental abuse and neglect.
  
• Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario - 1-833-916-6728
  
• Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee - If you believe someone is no longer mentally capable of understanding their situation, and you believe that they are being harmed because they do not have enough to eat, or because their money is disappearing, you may want to call the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee. The Guardianship Investigations branch of that Office has legal authority to investigate and intervene in these kinds of situations. They may be contacted at 416-327-6348 or 1-844-640-3615
  
• Elder Abuse within a facility:
  
  • Long-Term Care Home - Long-term Home Care ACTION Line at 1-866-434-0144
  • Retirement Home - Registrar of the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority at 1-855-275-7472. To report suspected abuse of victims living in retirement homes,the abuse must be reported to the Registrar of the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority. The Director or the Registrar must look into all reports of abuse, and must send an inspector to the home immediately if the report is about harm or risk of harm due to 1) improper or incompetent treatment or care 2) abuse of a resident by anyone 3) neglect of a resident by a staff member or the owner of the home 4) illegal conduct.
    • To report complaints about the operations at a retirement home and licensing breaches, call 1-855-275-7472

Support, Information, Referrals

• Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario
• Advocacy Centre for the Elderly - Elder Abuse 1-416-598-2656 (legal advice/ support)
• Ministry of the Attorney General, Victim Support Line, Ontario 1-888-579-2888
• Seniors' INFOline, Ontario 1-888-910-1999