vulnerable adult
Endangered mature person
A vulnerable adult is a person eighteen or older who cannot protect themselves from abuse, neglect, or exploitation due to age, disability, mental illness, or other conditions that impair judgment or independence.
The term appears in legal and social services contexts to identify adults who need safeguarding: Elder care facilities must report suspected mistreatment of vulnerable adults.
Unlike children, vulnerable adults may have legal autonomy while still requiring protection.
- elderlyAdvanced in age
- frailWeak and breakable
- dependentRequiring outside support
- care homeResidential facility for dependent adults
- duty of careObligation to act reasonably
abuse · elder abuse · neglect · protection · safeguarding · exploitation · incapacitated · disabled · helpless · guardianship · next of kin · social worker · at-risk · manipulation · trust · isolation · cognitive · mental capacity
- protected personsnoncombatant, civilian, refugee, asylum seeker, minor
- elder abuseelder neglect, elder fraud, senior neglect, nursing home abuse, caregiver abuse
- guardianshipguardian, legal guardian, ward of court, conservator, custodian
- guardianship lawlegal guardian, legal guardianship, conservatorship, ward of court, mental capacity
- legal capacitylegal capacity, mental capacity, capacity, incapacity, competence
vulnerable adultcaregiver
One providing daily assistance
guardian · protector · authority figure · perpetrator · abuser
vulnerable, adult, vulnerability, vulnerably, invulnerable, invulnerability, adults, adulthood, adulting