The Alabama Senate approved a bill to create a registry of those who abuse the elderly.
Senate Bill 169 is sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures (D – Mobile) and seeks to create a state-sponsored registry for those who have committed certain crimes against the elderly.
The registry would be operated through the Alabama Department of Human Resources and would require healthcare facilities to have special reporting procedures to manage the registry.
The bill would also require all physicians, caregivers, and other medical practitioners, as well as anyone who reasonably believes that an elder has been subjected to abuse, to file a report.
Should the bill pass, it would require healthcare providers to search the database prior to hiring an employee. The specific crimes included in the registry are abuse, neglect, exploitation, intimidation, sexual abuse exploitation, financial exploitation, or emotional abuse. A person would only be added to the registry after sufficient investigation has taken place.
Figures stated that she believes the bill will prevent healthcare facilities from hiring employees that are a risk to the patients. She also says the registry will give peace of mind to those hiring private employees to care for their elderly relatives because they can search for a potential employee's identity.
The bill passed the Senate unanimously and will move to the appropriate committee in the House of Representatives.
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