Despite numerous headlines regarding the financial and physical abuse of the elderly in this country the acts continue and the elderly continue to suffer. The population of the USA continues to age and that means more care is needed for the elderly. This vulnerable part of the population is comprised of baby boomers and Vietnam Veterans, people who have worked hard to keep our economy going and have risked their lives to protect this county with their service. It is now time to protect them and that starts with hiring caregivers who have passed a thorough background check that includes a criminal background check, sex offender check, social security validation with address history check and reference checks including an in-person interview.
Caring for and defending the United States at-risk populations is a critical aspect of modern society and thorough employment screening is an essential tool that must be utilized during the caregiver vetting process. Background checks are generally based on public records, verifications and references and, subsequently provide an immediate and unique snapshot of an individual’s past. Potentially uncovering a criminal history that could be devastating if hired and left unsupervised with the elderly.
Challenges continue to exist for at-risk populations, specifically the elderly, and examples continue to appear on the headlines almost daily.
A recent investigation in New York State revealed that several employees of a nursing facility had been convicted of felonies prior to being hired to work with the elderly.
An expert commented on the situation on August 4, 2017 in a WKBW report (WKBW.com; Aug 04, 17):
“Nurses, and especially people working in nursing home facilities, are working with some of the most vulnerable of our population,” … “We’re talking about elderly people, people with dementia, people with memory issues, people who are most susceptible to economic crimes and to physical abuse, and people who cannot necessarily speak up for themselves because they’re in this vulnerable position in a nursing home.” wkbw.com/longform/7-eyewitness-news-investigates-criminal-caregivers
It is critical that hiring managers for caregiver facilities work with third-party pre-employment background screening agencies in order to remain fully compliant with existing laws on a local, state, and federal level. As caregiver facilities operate under a variety of laws governed by a variety of difference agencies. In order to help protect the elderly from malfeasant individuals thorough vetting of all potential caregivers should be mandatory before allowing them unsupervised access to the elderly.
In Illinois local police arrested a caregiver on felony charges.
From the Daily Herald (dailyherald.com; Apr. 17, 17):
A Wauconda woman is facing multiple felony charges alleging she stole from a Barrington senior she was hired to care for, police said Monday. dailyherald.com/news/20170417/caregiver-charged-with-stealing-from-barrington-woman
Based on the story in the Daily Herald this is not the first time this individual had been arrested of allegations of theft against the elderly. A perfect example of how a professional background check could have prevented a second attack against the elderly.
The Daily Herald states that “this is the second time {the defendant} has been arrested on charges she stole from people she was hired to care for. In May 2016, she was charged with aggravated identity theft, unlawful possession of a credit card and theft from a senior living community in Barrington…” ibid…
The headlines keep on rolling… An elderly man in Tacoma, Washington was allegedly robbed of his savings by a caregiver as he lay on his deathbed.
From KOMONEWS (komonews.com; no date given):
A Tacoma man on his deathbed, desperate to make the most of his final days became the target of a caregiver hired to ease his family’s burden. komonews.com/news/local/tacoma-family-accuses-caregiver-of-charging-thousands-of-dollars-to-their-bank-account
Professional high-quality employment background checks on all prospective caregivers should be an absolute must. A thorough background check can include public records such as criminal history records, department of motor vehicles check, consumer credit report, social security number trace as well as reference checks on education and previous employment. An in-person interview to discuss a potential caregiver’s resume can also reveal any lies or misstatements of fact. Background screening for this purpose should be outsourced to a well-qualified employment screening company, one well versed in all aspects of employment law and has access to current, thorough and accurate background reports.
The mission to protect the elderly should be embraced by all citizens of the USA from coast to coast and mandating professional background screening of all caregivers prior to hiring is a huge step in that direction.
To read more about why caregiver background checks still remain critical in the USA and how thorough background checks can help prevent abuse to the elderly read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2017-08-09-Caregiver-Background-Checks-Remain-Critical-in-the-Care-of-At-Risk-Populations.html