June named World Elder Abuse Awareness Month

A proclamation was signed on Wednesday, June 15, recognizing June as World Elder Abuse Awareness Month.

To bring awareness to the issue, the Coffee County Department of Human Resources requested that members of the community wear purple shirts and "Paint the Town Purple."

"The only way we can get the word out is that we paint this town purple to bring awareness to this growing epidemic, this growing problem in our community," Adult Protective Services Worker Suezette Hatten said. "If someone sees (a person) wearing purple, the question should be, 'Why are you wearing purple?' We're wearing it because there is so much abuse of the elderly in the community. Just like children: children are abused; adults are abused as well."

Hatten said elder abuse is a growing problem.

"In this county, it's a great problem because we have a lot of children who have decided to move in with mom and dad and grandparents," Hatten said. "They are taking advantage of (seniors) greatly. They are misusing, mismanaging and taking their resources that (seniors) have worked their whole entire lives for, and they're burning it so that (seniors) don't have the sufficient income to meet their own needs."

Hatten said there are elders who need to be in loving homes just as children do. She said that DHR promotes fostering adults, including abused elders, so they can prosper as well.

"We've got adults who don't have families," Hatten said. "We have adults whose children are taking advantage of them, who are hurting and harming them daily. They need to be in a family-like environment where they can be taken care of, where they can be nurtured, where they can live out the rest of their lives in love and kindness."

Hatten said that anyone who is aware or suspects that elder abuse is occurring should call Coffee County DHR at (334) 348-2000, or contact the state hotline.

"Just let us know what's going on so that we can get out there, investigate it and try to come to some type of resolve about what's going on with the person," Hatten said.