“An awful state”: Self-neglect and mental capacity
By Ian Brownhill, 17 January 2024
The description of a person being found in “an awful state” is one of the most common phrases than an adult social care lawyer will read. It is a description that has no legal meaning but is often a sanitised portrayal of someone who has been subject to significant neglect.
Whilst the neglect of a person by paid carers, or family members, tends to attract the most significant media attention, there are significant numbers of individuals who are self-neglecting.