Elder Assistance Daily » AL http://www.eadaily.com Resource and Information for Seniors and Their Loved Ones Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:34:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Alabama: Elder Abuse Prevention http://www.eadaily.com/15/alabama-elder-abuse-prevention/ http://www.eadaily.com/15/alabama-elder-abuse-prevention/#comments Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:31:54 +0000 Elder Abuse Daily http://www.eadaily.com/?p=894 According to Alabama’s Department of Human Resources, in 1992, there were 8,850 cases of adult abuse in the state, with many involving older victims.Another report released by Alabama’s Adult Protective Services revelealed that there were about 840 reported cases of elderly abuse in 2004.The data below is the estimated number of elder abuse cases in Alabama. EADaily.com defines elderly as an individual 60 years of age or older for all 50 states. Please note that some states may vary with its definition of an elderly person and/or elder abuse. Please also note that these figures are estimated.




Alabama Elder Abuse Statistics

Alabama Counties
Elderly Population*
Cases of Elder Abuse**
Autauga County 8,022 886
Baldwin County 37,296 4,120
Barbour County 5,141 568
Bibb County 3,863 427
Blount County 10,864 1,200
Bullock County 1,742 192
Butler County 4,285 473
Calhoun County 22,704 2,508
Chambers County 7,639 844
Cherokee County 6,005 663
Chilton County 7,627 842
Choctaw County 3,388 374
Clarke County 5,434 600
Clay County 3,257 360
Cleburne County 3,035 335
Coffee County 9,447 1,043
Colbert County 12,147 1,342
Conecuh County 2,995 331
Coosa County 2,476 273
Covington County 8,976 991
Crenshaw County 3,015 333
Cullman County 16,719 1,847
Dale County 8,904 983
Dallas County 8,467 935
DeKalb County 13,312 1,470
Elmore County 12,347 1,364
Escambia County 7,468 825
Etowah County 22,146 2,446
Fayette County 4,149 458
Franklin County 6,401 707
Geneva County 5,966 659
Greene County 1,895 209
Hale County 3,206 354
Henry County 3,746 414
Houston County 19,317 2,134
Jackson County 11,527 1,273
Jefferson County 120,405 13,299
Lamar County 3,433 379
Lauderdale County 19,443 2,148
Lawrence County 6,606 730
Lee County 16,363 1,807
Limestone County 12,585 1,390
Lowndes County 2,325 257
Macon County 4,493 496
Madison County 53,983 5,963
Marengo County 4,332 478
Marion County 7,152 790
Marshall County 17,186 1,898
Mobile County 69,787 7,708
Monroe County 4,506 498
Montgomery County 37,219 4,111
Morgan County 22,207 2,453
Perry County 2,192 242
Pickens County 4,375 483
Pike County 5,316 587
Randolph County 4,954 547
Russell County 9,672 1,068
Shelby County 24,924 2,753
St. Clair County 13,494 1,490
Sumter County 2,650 293
Talladega County 15,508 1,713
Tallapoosa County 9,581 1,058
Tuscaloosa County 26,869 2,968
Walker County 15,006 1,657
Washington County 3,548 392
Wilcox County 2,395 265
Winston County 5,349 591
Grand Total 862,786 95,300

* Elderly defined as 60 years of age and older.
** Estimated # of reported and unreported cases of elder abuse.

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]]> http://www.eadaily.com/15/alabama-elder-abuse-prevention/feed/ 0 Alabama: Elder Abuse Data and Statistics http://www.eadaily.com/04/alabama-elder-abuse-data-and-statistics/ http://www.eadaily.com/04/alabama-elder-abuse-data-and-statistics/#comments Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:42:36 +0000 Elder Abuse Daily http://www.eadaily.com/?p=838 According to Alabama’s Department of Human Resources, in 1992, there were 8,850 cases of adult abuse in the state, with many involving older victims.Another report released by Alabama’s Adult Protective Services revelealed that there were about 840 reported cases of elderly abuse in 2004.The data below is the estimated number of elder abuse cases in Alabama. EADaily.com defines elderly as an individual 60 years of age or older for all 50 states. Please note that some states may vary with its definition of an elderly person and/or elder abuse. Please also note that these figures are estimated.

Alabama Elder Abuse Statistics

Alabama Counties
Elderly Population*
Cases of Elder Abuse**
Autauga County 8,022 886
Baldwin County 37,296 4,120
Barbour County 5,141 568
Bibb County 3,863 427
Blount County 10,864 1,200
Bullock County 1,742 192
Butler County 4,285 473
Calhoun County 22,704 2,508
Chambers County 7,639 844
Cherokee County 6,005 663
Chilton County 7,627 842
Choctaw County 3,388 374
Clarke County 5,434 600
Clay County 3,257 360
Cleburne County 3,035 335
Coffee County 9,447 1,043
Colbert County 12,147 1,342
Conecuh County 2,995 331
Coosa County 2,476 273
Covington County 8,976 991
Crenshaw County 3,015 333
Cullman County 16,719 1,847
Dale County 8,904 983
Dallas County 8,467 935
DeKalb County 13,312 1,470
Elmore County 12,347 1,364
Escambia County 7,468 825
Etowah County 22,146 2,446
Fayette County 4,149 458
Franklin County 6,401 707
Geneva County 5,966 659
Greene County 1,895 209
Hale County 3,206 354
Henry County 3,746 414
Houston County 19,317 2,134
Jackson County 11,527 1,273
Jefferson County 120,405 13,299
Lamar County 3,433 379
Lauderdale County 19,443 2,148
Lawrence County 6,606 730
Lee County 16,363 1,807
Limestone County 12,585 1,390
Lowndes County 2,325 257
Macon County 4,493 496
Madison County 53,983 5,963
Marengo County 4,332 478
Marion County 7,152 790
Marshall County 17,186 1,898
Mobile County 69,787 7,708
Monroe County 4,506 498
Montgomery County 37,219 4,111
Morgan County 22,207 2,453
Perry County 2,192 242
Pickens County 4,375 483
Pike County 5,316 587
Randolph County 4,954 547
Russell County 9,672 1,068
Shelby County 24,924 2,753
St. Clair County 13,494 1,490
Sumter County 2,650 293
Talladega County 15,508 1,713
Tallapoosa County 9,581 1,058
Tuscaloosa County 26,869 2,968
Walker County 15,006 1,657
Washington County 3,548 392
Wilcox County 2,395 265
Winston County 5,349 591
Grand Total 862,786 95,300

* Elderly defined as 60 years of age and older.
** Estimated # of reported and unreported cases of elder abuse.

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]]> http://www.eadaily.com/04/alabama-elder-abuse-data-and-statistics/feed/ 0 Alabama: Elder Abuse http://www.eadaily.com/03/alabama-elder-abuse/ http://www.eadaily.com/03/alabama-elder-abuse/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:48:13 +0000 Elder Abuse Daily http://www.eadaily.com/?p=735 Ever year, it is estimated that there are up to 5,000,000 cases of elder abuse, with most cases going unreported. As Alabama’s elder population continues to grow, the number of elder abuse cases increases along with it. What is elder abuse? As seniors grow older, they generally become more physically frail and less capable of taking care of themselves. As a result, these elders turn to, and place their trust in, the people around them such as family or professional caregivers, financial advisor, Alabama nursing homes and assisted living centers.

Alabama Resources


While most of the people these elders turn to can be trusted, there will be a smaller population of individuals or groups that will take advantage of the elder’s age and/or illnesses.




There are many different forms of elder abuse. Abuse can be physical, financial, emotional/psychological, sexual, or neglect/self-neglect. The most common types are below:

Physical Abuse Physical abuse is when an individual intentionally inflicts physical harm on an elderly person in Alabama. The types of physical abuse include, but is not limited to, punching, hitting, slapping, kicking, biting and throwing objects at an elderly person.

Signs and SymptomsWhile there are many signs and symptoms that may reveal cases of elder abuse in Alabama, the following are the most common:

  • Bruises or discoloration of the skin
  • Burn marks around the face, arms, stomach or legs
  • Broken bones
  • Unusual cuts or scars on the body
  • Inconsistent explanation of or repetitive occurrences of the injuries
  • Too much time passing from the time the injury occurred to the time it was reported and treated
Financial Abuse / Exploitation One of the more common forms of abuse in Alabama, financial elder abuse involves the improper use of an elderly person’s money or personal property such as a home or a car. Financial abuse is usually committed by either a caregiver or a scam artist.

Signs and Symptoms

  • Unusual bank transactions or money transfers
  • Unauthorized use of credit cards or checks
  • Caregiver only expresses concerns over the elder’s monetary situation and never physical/mental state
  • Personal items such as jewelry, clothing or appliances go missing
  • Signed complex documents that the elder is forced to sign, without the presence of someone truly trustworthy to the elder
  • Inability to pay for bills or basic necessities such as food and water
Emotional / Psychological Abuse Pscyhological abuse is when an individual directly or indirectly inflicts psychological or emotional harm on an elder person in Alabama. The types of emotional or psychological abuse include, but is not limited to, intimidating, threatening, screaming, yelling, ignoring, humilitating, isolating or terrorizing of an elderly person.

Signs and Symptoms

  • Constant fear of a particular person, environment or situation
  • Hopelessness or helplessness, or thoughts of suicide
  • Lack of eye contact or feelings of inferiority
  • Excessive anger or agitation
Neglect / Self-Neglect Neglect is when a caregiver responsible for the elderly person in Alabama, fails to provide adequate food, water, shelter and medicine to the elder, which results in physical or emotional harm, exploitation or even death.

Signs and Symptoms

  • Unusual weight or eating patterns
  • Malnutrition or dehydration
  • Poor personal hygene
  • Elder left unattended in public places or in private places for a long period of time
  • Poor living conditions at residence (ie no running or hot water, excessive amount of insects, trash piling up)

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]]> http://www.eadaily.com/03/alabama-elder-abuse/feed/ 0 Alabama http://www.eadaily.com/05/reporting-elder-abuse-alabama/ http://www.eadaily.com/05/reporting-elder-abuse-alabama/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:35:18 +0000 Elder Abuse Daily http://www.eadaily.com/?p=252
To report elder abuse in Alabama, contact:
  • Alabama Nursing Home Elder Abuse or Long Term Care – (800) 458-7214
  • Domestic/Community Elder Abuse – (800) 458-7214

The Alabama Department of Senior Services (ADSS), along with the Long Term Care Ombudsman program, operates an elder abuse program that aims to prevent sexual, financial, and physical elder abuse and neglect.

There are two agencies that are responsible for investigating the occurrence or allegation of elder abuse. These agencies are the Alabama Department of Human Resources and the Bureau of Health Provider Standards (BHPS).

All reports of elder abuse, or suspected elder abuse, taken in by ADSS will be immediately reported to the Alabama Department of Human Resources and BHPS.

To find a local agency on aging in your area, call 1(800) AGELINE or 1(800) 243-5463.

Common Characteristics of Elder Abuse Victims in Alabama include:
  • Usually female, over 75 years old
  • Many times, require assistance with daily activities
  • Deprived of visitations or prevented from leaving the area
Common Characteristics of Abusers include:
  • Blaming victim for financial hardships as a result of unemployment and/or caring for the elderly victim
  • Often depends on the elderly victim for a place to stay and/or for money
  • History of emotional or physical abuse with family members (spouse and/or children)
  • Lacking the knowledge to care for the elder

Reporting elder abuse in Alabama can be kept confidential.

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