Elder abuse is a documented issue around the world. India is no exception. Abuse in older adults is associated with significant increase in emergency department usage, hospitalisation, dementia and depression. An abused elder has a threefold higher risk of death. Nevertheless, elder abuse is ill defined, understudied and underreported. Concepts of elder abuse developed in Western contexts are difficult to generalise to the widely varying contexts of India. This article proposes a framework to study and theorise elder abuse in India. The proposed framework is based on the bioecological systems theory. The article aims to facilitate identification of elder abuse and stimulate discussion around this grave yet neglected issue in care of older adults in India.
