Vulnerable Adult
Statutory Definition AS 47.24.900
"A person 18 years of age or older who, because of physical or mental impairment, is unable to meet the person’s own needs or to seek help without assistance."
This definition has 4 elements that must be evaluated both independently and jointly. They are:
- physical impairment
- mental impairment
- unable to meet own needs and
- unable to seek help
Up to this point the term “vulnerable adult” has been used without defining it. Let’s examine the statutory definitions of the term, and we will distinguish it from the next definition of “incapacitated adult.” The State of Alaska has specific, legal definitions of these terms to better guide caregivers, administrators and mandatory reporters working with vulnerable adults.
Think back to the risk factors discussed earlier and now look at this list of elements of a vulnerable adult. Identifying who is a vulnerable adult means that each of these elements needs to be weighed against the type of risk factors someone presents with. This will help determine if someone is a vulnerable adult. Here is an example: There is a 65 year old man who lives alone, his left leg is amputated, he works part-time and he has a developmental disability. Because he has a developmental disability does not mean he automatically is a vulnerable adult. We need to know how his level of cognitive impairment may affect his capacity to make decisions.