Bill > H523

This bill amends Chapter 19A, Section 14 of the General Laws to expand the definition of "Abuse" concerning elderly individuals. Previously, abuse included acts causing serious physical or emotional injury, financial exploitation, or an elderly person's inability to provide for their own safety and well-being. The bill inserts language to explicitly include "compulsive hoarding" as a form of abuse, defining it as the accumulation of items that create excessively cluttered living spaces, hindering self-care and posing health and safety risks, even if the individual lacks insight into these dangers. This change aims to provide greater protection for seniors by recognizing hoarding as a serious issue that can endanger their ability to live safely in their homes.