Attorney General Andrea Campbell turned to a state lawyer focused on health care and fair competition for the past eight years to lead a new unit focused on the safety and well-being of older adults in Massachusetts.

Mary Freely, the deputy chief of the Health Care and Fair Competition Bureau, has been appointed to lead the attorney general’s Elder Justice Unit, Campbell announced Friday. The unit plans to prosecute the abuse and exploitation of vulnerable older adults when it comes to long-term care, financial exploitation, and scams, Campbell said.

“We continue to see bad actors prey on older adults, whether that’s targeting them for financial scams or neglecting care in long-term facilities. The Elder Just Unit will serve as a resource and advocate for elders who face these issues across the commonwealth,” Freely said in a statement.

Freely has worked on consumer protection and antitrust cases, including investigations and litigation in the health care pharmaceutical, education and financial markets. Freely also coordinated elder advocacy and protection work, focusing on residents of long-term facilities.

Campbell said Freely has over a decade of experience working in the state’s top prosecutor’s office.

“I’m confident [Freely] will serve our elders with urgency and empathy,” Campbell said in a statement. “By creating this unit, we are prioritizing the rights of elderly residents to live with dignity — free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. My office will continue to serve as a dedicated resource for older adults, address their most-pressing needs and advocate for and implement solutions.”

Most older adult victims of abuse are women, according to the National Institute on Aging. Older adults who do not have family or friends nearby, people with disabilities, memory problems, or dementia “may be more vulnerable to abuse,” according to the institute.

“Mistreatment most often affects those who depend on others for help with activities of everyday life — including bathing, dressing, and taking medicine,” the institute said.

Signs of abuse could include an older adult becoming withdrawn, agitated, or violent, the institute said. The person could also display signs such of trauma such as rocking back and forth or have unexplained pressure marks, bruises, burns, and cuts.

In the federal fiscal year 2021, the Department of Justice said there were more than 46,000 victims of elder abuse for people aged 60 and older. That includes more than 228,000 investigations in 36 states.

A report of elder abuse in Massachusetts can also be filed online with the state’s Executive Office of Elder Affairs.