Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 42-66 - Office of Healthy Aging

• Abuse: means physical abuse, sexual abuse, and/or emotional abuse of an elderly person by a caregiver as defined in subsection (5). See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66-4.1
• Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Caregiver: means a person who has assumed the responsibility for the care of the elderly person voluntarily, by contract or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or who is otherwise legally responsible for the care of the elderly person. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66-4.1
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• elder: means any person sixty (60) years of age or older. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66-4.1
• Emotional abuse: means a pattern of willful infliction of mental or emotional harm upon an elder by threat, intimidation, isolation or other abusive conduct. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66-4.1
• Exploitation: means the fraudulent or otherwise illegal, unauthorized or improper act or process of an individual, including, but not limited to, a caregiver or fiduciary, that uses the resources of an elder for monetary or personal benefit, profit, gain, or that results in depriving an elder of rightful access to, or use of, benefits, resources, belongings, or assets by use of undue influence, harassment, duress, deception, false representation or false pretenses. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66-4.1
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Neglect: means the willful failure by a caregiver or other person with a duty of care to provide goods or services necessary to avoid physical harm, mental harm or mental illness to an elderly person, including, but not limited to, "abandonment" (withdrawal of necessary assistance) and denial of food or health related services. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66-4.1
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Protective services: means services and/or action intended to prevent and/or alleviate the abuse, neglect, exploitation or self-neglect of elderly persons. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66-4.1
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Self-neglect: means a pattern of behavior in an elderly person that directly, imminently and significantly threatens his/her own health and/or, safety. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66-4.1
• Sexual abuse: means the infliction of non-consensual sexual contact of any kind upon an elderly person. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66-4.1
• Willful: means intentional, conscious and directed toward achieving a purpose. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66-4.1