Concepts of Zen Buddhism suggest that understanding an issue or problem avoids labels and names. These concepts also infer that society's compulsion for naming and defining, which is especially characteristic of the literature on elder abuse, may result in confusion instead of clear thinking. It appears as though professionals involved in elder abuse cases define their own rules within the scope of their particular disciplines. What Zen Buddhism says is that each participant in an adult protective case is related. The need for protection from harm is the single, universal factor in all protective cases. Good professional treatment moves from an understanding of the situation in its wholeness to helping the abused or neglected client who may be powerless. Legal issues, rights, and responsibilities constitute the boundaries between which protective treatment occurs. Informed consent to services is not negotiable; it may involve extensive legal and psychiatric procedures, but it is not within the professional's purview to violate an individual's selfhood. Social science disciplines complement child and adult protective service strategies. A unified view of elder abuse includes an awareness of the history of violence and indifference in the lives of each family and elderly individual. Elder abuse cannot be properly defined without considering any corporate abuse and neglect practiced by social institutions.