ELDER ABUSE

There are so many victims of elder abuse, abuses perpetrated by loved ones, trusted allies and by the elder himself. As we age we seem to be giving up all our freedoms. We need help just to get through the day, bathing, eating, dressing can become monumental tasks. Driving a car to the grocery store or to the doctor can become a danger to the driver as well as those who share the road. The elder may have to depend upon another person for these personal tasks and they have to trust the provider. The elder may not want another person to help them and refuses all outside help. With aging comes isolation, there are many times when an elder does not want family members to know how difficult their lives have become, and will go to great lengths to hide their dependency from family members. Many times they are successful enough to hide the truth from themselves.

Mickey Rooney a 90 year old popular child actor is the victim of elder abuse. How could an actor with fame and fortune have a problem with elder abuse? One would think that he has lawyers and financial advisors to watch out for him. His story of abuse was given to the Senate Special Committee on Aging Wednesday March 3, 2011.

Rooney testified that his stepson was withholding food, medicine and interfering with his finances. The stepson has been verbally abuse, yelling and screaming, threatening, intimidating, bullying and harassing the aging star. Rooney had been kept a prisoner in his own home.

If Mickey Rooney can be a victim of elder abuse, he has a lot of company. Every year, an estimated 2.1 million older Americans are victims of physical, psychological, sexual, financial or other forms of abuse and neglect. For every case that was reported, it is estimated that there may be as many as five to one cases there are not reported. Elders do not report their abuse due to the fact they are embarrassed, afraid or confined in a home or facility where they cannot or do not have the ability to report their abuses. The fact that Home Health Care is becoming a huge business, abuses can make an easy entry to the homes of frail elderly.

California is NOT a licensed state for non medical or custodial care services and therefore there are no barriers to entry, no consumer protection laws, no minimal standards, and no official state oversight. In California the consumer and the family must take a “buyer beware” attitude approach to finding a safe caregiver and a reputable company that will provide the highest in quality caregivers. These caregivers must be bonded and insured. This is why it is important to use a STATE LICENSED HOME HEALTH AGENCY that has licensed nursing oversight. State Licensed Agencies are required to perform pre-employment background checks(criminal), including fingerprints, department of motor vehicle checks, work and personal reference checks before hiring an individual. The staff are the agencies employees, not independent contractors. State licensed agencies also train, monitor and supervise the staff that provides care to clients in their homes. Remember that a company that states they are “licensed” must be a able to provide a copy of their license issued by the State of California. Many of the home health agencies only have a business license.

The problem with finding caregivers is, most people do not think about finding care for Mom and Dad until there is an emergency. A family in crisis is the perfect situation allowing for someone to come into the house and take advantage of the family and the frail elderly. There is always the cost factor that must be taken into account. Home Health Agencies must pay all payroll taxes, insurance and workman’s compensation insurance. Anyone hiring a private caregiver is responsible for the same.

Taking into account the cost, poor knowledge as to how to choose a company or an individual to care for Mom and Dad, the family decides to hire Mary Jane. Mary Jane has forged all of her glowing reference letters - (always call or write to the person who is supposed to be doing the reference) The client gives Mary Jane a blank signed check and sends Mary Jane to the grocery store to buy groceries, Mary Jane cashes the check for $10,000.00 and goes gambling. Financial Abuse. Mary Jane buys food for the client and among the things purchased are all the foods that Mary Jane likes, there is no consideration made for the clients dietary needs. Client Neglect. The client complains about lack of necessary food and medicine, Mary Jane shouts, “You better shut up or I’ll tell your son and he will put you in a home and leave you there”. Verbal Abuse. Mary Jane takes another job where she comes in every morning to help a woman get ready for the day, the woman is incontinent of urine and feces and Mary Jane does nothing about changing her. Neglect. Mary Jane does not come into her clients for a week, does not tell anyone, the client is alone trying to care for herself. Abandonment. Mary Jane finally finds a paranoid old woman who is extremely wealthy. The woman is estranged from her family and Mary Jane has finally has struck the gold mine - she becomes the woman’s confidant, friend and bill payer. Mary Jane takes over the woman’s life, and tell her when to go out, when to see the doctor and when to give her medications. Mary Jane has depleted the woman’s bank accounts and when the old woman died, the family did an accounting, the family got nothing and Mary Jane got 20 years.

These are just some of the stories of abuse. They are all examples of elder abuse. Most abusers are trusted caregivers, trusted friends and family members. A company that does not check on clients and allows the caregiver to “run the show” are allowing for multiple cases of abuse.

Even though Mary Jane is a composite of multiple caregivers, the frail elderly need to be cared for and nurtured for who they are and protected from Mary Jane. They are our parents, our grandparents and in the course of their lives, they lived their life to the best of their abilities. They were young once, they had dreams, loves and aspirations, they fought for their country, waited for their men to come home from war and endured the great depression. Whey trying to find care for your elderly family members, have meetings with all involved and find out all that you can about Home Care and who would be the best people to take care of your family members. Do No Trust What Anyone Tells you About Their Caregivers, make them prove it to you. Do remember that a State Licensed Home Health Agency answers to a higher power, the State of California.

Sharon Grinnell, RN, DON