Jun. 16--The abuse of some of Alabama's most vulnerable residents is taking place right under the noses of their neighbors, friends and family.
These vulnerable people aren't children -- they're the state's senior citizens, and many of them are victims of elder abuse, said Irene Collins, Commissioner of the state Department of Senior Services.
She said that in most cases seniors keep quiet about abuse because someone close to them, such as a family member or a primary caregiver, is their abuser.
"We call them the quiet minority," Collins said. "We want to raise awareness and to also let people know that there is help."
Hundreds of purple clad senior citizens rallied at the Capitol on Monday, which was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, to show support for elder justice and to encourage seniors to report abuse.
Seniors gathered all over the country to raise public awareness about the growing but underreported problem of elder abuse.
Doris Ball, director of the state Department of Human Resources Adult Protective Services Division, said that elder abuse could be physical assault, verbal mistreatment, sexual and/or financial. Though there are several state agencies such as the Department of Senior Services and Medicaid that handle senior issues, the Department of Human Resources is legally responsible for receiving and investigating reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
"This problem is so big," Ball said. "It requires many agencies working together to combat elder abuse."
Between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 30, 2008, DHR received more than 5,100 reports of adults who needed her division's services. Ball said these people were often seniors who couldn't protect themselves because of physical or mental disability. They also didn't have anyone who could or would protect them from abuse.
Ball said nationally, more than five million seniors are victims of abuse each year and 84 percent of that abuse goes unreported. The victims are most likely to be female and 65 or older. The majority of reports involve some form of neglect and self-neglect and half of them are indicated as true reports of abuse.
"As our population ages, and until our economy improves, we can anticipate an increase in adults who are in need of protection," she said.
Bill Fuller said in addition to awareness there also is a need in Alabama for coordinated intervention on behalf of the state's elderly population. Fuller is an attorney who directs the Alabama Elder Justice Project at Cumberland Law School, and he says there are between 60,000 and 100,000 people a year in Alabama who are victims of elder abuse.
"There are 12 different agencies responsible for seniors in this state," said Fuller, who is a former DHR commissioner. "There is no unified system of care and there needs to be some unity between all of these agencies for the purpose of information sharing and sharing investigation technique."
Fuller said there are some promising signs that Alabama could be proactive in fighting elder abuse, including Monday's rally.
Ball said the federal government is turning its focus on the elderly and the problem of elder abuse. This week there will be a congressional briefing on the Elder Justice Act, which is the first comprehensive effort to address and prevent elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Fuller said other signs of positive movement in Alabama include the piloting of elder advocacy centers in Huntsville, Alexander City and Mobile that are modeled after the state's child advocacy centers.
Another good sign is Alabama Speaker of the House Seth Hammett's appointment of a House subcommittee to study the safety of Alabama's seniors. Fuller said the committee would hold public meetings around the state and report its findings to all three branches of government in time for the 2010 legislative session.
"Elder safety is the next great legal frontier and we want to help prevent a federal lawsuit," Fuller said.
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