There have been many headlines about the challenges our nation faces when it comes to our at-risk populations. Specifically the elderly and the abuse that can happen from caregivers with unsupervised timed with an elderly patient. There have been numerous cases of such abuse to the elderly portion of our country in recent news articles. As the elderly population of the USA continues to increase so does the need for in-home caregivers. This is why it is becoming paramount that a thorough background screening be performed on all caregivers before being allowed into the home.
Unfortunately many families do not have the proper insurance to cover in-home healthcare for the elderly members of their family. This causes many families to pursue low-cost in-home care and that usually means hiring caregivers that are not properly trained or qualified in their profession. In addition to not being highly trained these caregivers could also have criminal background records or other attributes that makes them not suitable for the job. For these and other reasons it is imperative that a thorough caregiver background check be performed prior to letting an individual have unsupervised time with the elderly.
From KSTP.com (Dec. 22, 2016):
A caregiver at a Burnsville memory care facility has been charged after police say he smacked a vulnerable resident in the face…
…has been charged with fourth-degree assault and disorderly conduct. If convicted, he faces up to one year in prison and $3,000 in fines on the assault charge and up to 90 days in jail and $1,000 in fines on the disorderly conduct charge. kstp.com/news/charges-burnsville-caregiver-vulnerable-resident-slapped/4351729/
Recent incidents in Massachusetts have brought into question the level of protective care provided toward the elderly regarding the hiring of personal care attendants. As attempts continue to improve the situation there are complaints about background screening, one of the best tools that can be utilized in protecting the elderly.
From MassLive.com (Dec. 28, 17):
James Fuccione, director of legislative and public affairs for the Home Health Care Alliance of Massachusetts, which represents home care agencies, said his group encourages consumers to hire workers through an agency because of the safeguards, like background checks and training. masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/12/personal_care_attendants_have.html
Elder abuse comes in many forms and families should be well aware of the different types. Some may be overlooked or held inconsequential, but each are equally disruptive and devastating to the elderly.
Elder abuse refers to intentional or negligent acts by a caregiver or trusted individual that causes harm to a vulnerable elder. Elder abuse takes many forms, including neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse and exploitation, emotional or psychological abuse and neglect (including verbal abuse and threats), abandonment and self-neglect. acl.gov
As healthcare costs increase more and more family members will rely on each other for elder care, either through individual efforts or through hiring a caregiver. It is critical that any individual working with the elderly, an at-risk population go through an extensive and thorough background check process. For a complete investigation, an individual, family or home healthcare agency should utilize a well-qualified third-party background screening company to gain critical information needed in making a well-informed decision on a very critical matter.
The country as a whole needs to strongly advocate rigorous background screening of all caregivers which at a minimum should include criminal background checks, sex offender registry checks, social security number validation with address history trace, driving record checks (if the caregiver will be driving the elderly patient), credentials verification and reference checks. As the population in the USA continues to age the need and importance of well qualified and properly screened caregivers will continue to grow. It is critical that a thorough and complete background check be conducted, one that contains as much information that can be gained via public records and personal reference confirmation. This is extremely important as proper background screening of caregivers is one of the best tools available in protecting the country’s at-risk population especially the elderly. This tool if used correctly prior to hiring or access to the home is given can reduce cases of elder abuse by preventing past offenders from striking again.
To read more regarding the importance of properly background screening caregivers for the elderly especially those with unsupervised access to the home view recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2017-01-13-Caregiver-Background-Checks.html