The aging nation wants to believe that they will be safe and taken care of as they enter the elder years. However, headlines show a growing epidemic of elder abuse across the USA. Often these stories go untold and are not reported, however some of them are. Below are some recent news articles regarding abuse to the elder population. This highlights the need for caregiver background checks on those hired to work with the elderly and can be a great deterrent for malfeasant individuals looking to take advantage or abuse the elderly.
The risk of abuse grows the older a person gets and often the abuse comes from those hired to protect, assist, or help the elderly in everyday activities. Illustrations of elder abuse from caregivers are rampant on the internet and stories of abuse have reached numerous news sites such as these.
Recently, in the Village of Oak Creek, Arizona, a caregiver was arrested for stealing from an elderly woman.
From VerdeNews.com (Feb. 22, 17):
…a 42-year-old caregiver of Village of Oak Creek, was arrested after the Yavapai County Sheriff’s office confirmed her as a suspect accused of stealing more than $100,000 from an elderly Sedona woman.
A family member of the legally blind 89-year-old victim contacted the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office last month to report concerns of caregiver theft. The caller indicated it appeared more than $100,000 had been stolen from the victim, according to a news release from YCSO. verdenews.com/news/2017/feb/22/caregiver-arrested-after-allegedly-stealing-190k-e/
Forms of abuse happening in the country can have a much greater impact than theft by hired caregivers. An extreme situation occurred in Texas.
From KCENTV.com (Feb. 21, 17)
Emily Springer, 96, died just four months after she was seriously injured in a vehicle crash. According to her family, a Visiting Angels caretaker responsible for Springer failed to properly strap her into the van, which caused her to fly out of her handicap seat and into the dashboard.
… The caretaker involved was indicted for injury to an elderly person and is awaiting criminal trial. kcentv.com/news/local/elderly-woman-killed-by-negligent-caregiver-civil-suit-begins/409614262
In the end it is extremely important to perform thorough background checks on caretakers prior to giving them unsupervised access to the elderly. This huge deterrent should include criminal background checks and reference checks at a minimum to help thwart the potential for abuse.
A complete in person interview as well as verification checks are also very helpful in vetting caretakers before they get hired to care for the elderly.
To read more about this subject read recent press release found here: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2017-3-21-Elder-Abuse-A-Hidden-Epidemic.html