NEGATIVE — EMPLOYMENT — CASE TURNS 343

NURSING HOME EMPLOYEES MUST BE INVESTIGATED TO PROTECT THE ELDERLY

NURSING HOME EMPLOYEES CANNOT BE PROPERLY SCREENED, AND CRIMINALS GET JOBS CARING FOR THE ELDERLY

Violette King, president, Nursing Home Monitors, Chicago Sun-Times January 19, 2000,  SECTION: EDT; LETTERS; Pg. 34 TITLE: Nursing home safety enhanced by cameras // acs-EE2001

The vast majority of nursing home employees are dedicated, hardworking people who want their residents to be safe and to receive good care, but all too often, criminals and deviants are drawn to nursing home work because jobs are easy to get and because there is little supervision.

Criminal background laws have proven to be too weak in every state. In some states -- Illinois is one of them -- a "waiver" system created to bypass the criminal background check laws allows criminals with as many as 11 convictions to work in nursing homes. On the other hand, many abusers of the elderly have no criminal history, and some of the abusers are other residents.

NURSING HOMES ARE FULL OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT

Violette King, president, Nursing Home Monitors, Chicago Sun-Times January 19, 2000,  SECTION: EDT; LETTERS; Pg. 34 TITLE: Nursing home safety enhanced by cameras // acs-EE2001

The General Accounting Office reports that more than one-fourth of the nation's nursing homes have caused harm to residents or placed them at high risk of death and serious injury.

The continuing barrage of horror stories of neglect and abuse in nursing homes has led to serious consideration of surveillance cameras and devices using TV screens for two-way audio and visual communication by those advocating for the safety of residents. The Senate Special Committee on Aging has scheduled a hearing on the topic for March.