Caregivers for the Elderly – Why Use Background Checks?

The Minnesota Department of Health reported that in 2012 nursing homes reported more than 13,000 maltreatment complaints up from less than 3,000 in 2010. Although better reporting requirements are to blame for some of this increase it does not account for all of it. With an aging population the demand for home health care and nursing homes is rising incredibly fast and so too is the opportunity to abuse and neglect the elderly an at-risk population. It is important to properly vet a caregiver prior to sending them into someone’s house unsupervised or having private time with nursing home residents. A thorough caregiver background check should include a criminal background check, sex offender registry check, employment verification and when necessary an education verification. Reference checks from prior employers and even landlords can also assist in painting the picture of a health care aid and whether there is a propensity or history of abuse or malfeasance activity. With an ever increasing demand and lack of uniform employment background screening policy caregiving to the elderly will remain a challenge. Risk mitigation is important and so is protecting at-risk populations like the elderly, and performing thorough background checks in the vetting process is a clear way to help prevent abuse to the elderly. To read more about elder care and how to help protect the elderly and the challenges in dealing with an aging population view recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2014-12-20-Caregivers-for-the-Elderly-A-Difficult-Challenge.html