neglecting

Neglecting is the act of failing to give proper attention, care, or regard to someone or something. It involves omissions or inattention rather than active harm, and can occur in personal, professional, or institutional contexts. The term is used across everyday language, ethics, healthcare, and law to describe neglect in its many forms.

In social and caregiving contexts, neglect is often discussed in relation to dependents. Child neglect refers to a caregiver’s failure to provide basic needs such as food, shelter, medical care, supervision, or emotional support. Elder or dependent neglect involves similar omissions toward adults who require assistance. Self-neglect describes situations where individuals fail to attend to their own essential needs, potentially endangering health or safety.

In medical and neuropsychological settings, neglect can refer to hemispatial neglect, a condition following brain injury in which a person fails to attend to stimuli on one side of space, typically after right hemisphere damage. This form of neglect reflects impaired attention and awareness rather than a simple sensory deficit.

Ethical and legal dimensions vary by jurisdiction. Neglect can be grounds for civil or criminal action in cases involving children or vulnerable adults, particularly when it violates duties of care. In contrast, negligence is a related but more formal concept defined as a failure to exercise reasonable care, often used in tort law.

Causes and consequences of neglecting range from caregiver stress and social isolation to cognitive impairment or systemic failures in care. Outcomes may include injuries, worsened health, diminished safety, and, in some cases, legal accountability for those responsible. See also neglect, negligence, child neglect, and unilateral neglect.