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Legal Information: California

Restraining Orders

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Laws current as of November 18, 2025

What does isolation mean?

When the abuse involves isolation, it means the abuser is cutting the abused elder or dependent adult off from other people. This can include:

  • blocking their mail or phone calls so they cannot communicate with others;
  • lying to visitors or callers by saying the person is not home, does not want to talk or see them, even when it is not true;
  • stopping the person from moving around freely (false imprisonment); and
  • physically restraining them so they cannot meet with family, friends, or anyone else.1

1 Cal.Wel. & Inst. Code § 15610.43(a)

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