Preventing Elder Abuse
Author
Thomas Wiest
CEO, Aspirience Home Care
Elder abuse once again slips into the news as I was watching a news story of a home worker repeatedly striking a bed bound 90 year old gentleman for whom she was providing care.
Will we let our outrage fade into the background until it happens to our loved one? Will we learn from this event and be prepared when it is our father needing care?
A daughter, needing help for her father while she worked, hired the worker directly, not using the services of a home care company.
This is an all too familiar story: adult children trying to do the best they can to take care of their parents and, at the same time, deal with their own growing family and becoming the victims of unqualified caregivers.
Minnesota is aging rapidly, and soon 25 percent of our state’s population will be elderly. By the year 2030, the number of Minnesotans over the age of 65 will double from where it is at today.
Spouses, daughters and sons, grandchildren and others who have the responsibility to make decisions about who will be caring for a loved one have a better choice about whom to invite into their home, the right home care company.
Minnesota is fortunate to have a large number of qualified home care companies across the state that provide a variety of programs and services employing workers who have had training, had their backgrounds checked and who are given ongoing oversight and supervision.
Home care companies provide services funded by Medicare, Medicaid, insurance policies and private funds. Most home-care companies operate under state and federal regulations and have oversight of their programs and operations by the Department of Human Services.
Many of the companies that do not provide federal- and state-funded services adhere to national standards for the employment of workers and the operations of the home-care business.
But calling a home-care company is not enough. The consumer or purchaser of home care services must make informed decisions, asking questions and demanding answers, requiring documentation and reading the “fine print.”
With an aging population and a workforce shortage, the problem of elder abuse is bound to get worse. Using the services of professional home care companies, being informed about service options and taking advantage of the resources to minimize risk are a few of the ways to prevent elder abuse of any kind.
It’s good to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you with qualified home care.