Dependent adult

A dependent adult is an adult who is not a senior citizen and who needs assistance to carry out normal activities or to protect their rights, or who is in a hospital for at least a 24-hour stay. Dependent adults have special rights and protections from abuse. After the age of 64, a person who might otherwise be considered a dependent adult is afforded other rights and protections as a senior citizen or elder. Laws regulating dependent adult abuse are very similar or identical to those governing elder abuse.^[1]

The definition is similar from state to state. California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 15610.23 defines a dependent adult as^[2] -

"(a) ‘Dependent adult’ means any person between the ages of 18 and 64 years who resides in this state and who has physical or mental limitations that restrict his or her ability to carry out normal activities or to protect his or her rights, including, but not limited to, persons who have physical or developmental disabilities, or whose physical or developmental abilities have diminished because of age.

"(b)‘Dependent adult’ includes any person between the ages of 18 and 64 years who is admitted as an inpatient to a 24-hour facility, as defined in Sections 1250, 1250.2, and 1250.3 of the Health and Safety Code."

References