Maryland Geriatric Nursing Aide (GNA) Practice Exam

Failure to provide needed care that results in harm describes neglect. In elder care, neglect means not meeting basic needs or not acting to prevent harm (for example, missing meals, failing to assist with mobility or hygiene, or not ensuring safety), and those lapses can lead to physical injury, illness, or emotional distress. Abandonment is about deserting the person and leaving them without care, which is a form of neglect but framed as desertion. Malpractice involves professional wrongdoing by a licensed clinician, breaching the standard of care. Negligence is a broader legal term for failing to exercise reasonable care, which can apply in many contexts but doesn’t specifically emphasize ongoing failure to provide daily care like neglect does. The situation described aligns with neglect.