The discussion focuses on physical abuse that occurs in domestic settings. The paper presents reasons why elder abuse should be considered a distinct category. Elder abuse is compared and contrasted with child abuse and other forms of domestic violence. This discussion emphasizes that parallels with child abuse can be overdrawn, since elderly abuse may be a reaction against the position of dependency rather than the responsibilities of caretaking. Second, elderly abuse victims' structural relationship to their abusers is different from that of child victims. Moreover, many social institutions offer permanent routes of escape for elderly victims. The author argues that the elder abuse situation is more akin to spouse than child abuse and that the implications of this similarity have not been explored. Advantages of this comparison are that it does not infantalize the elderly, emphasizes initiatives they can take on their own behalf, and allows for the dependency of the abuser on the abused. Issues for future research are discussed. 17 footnotes.