家庭护理专业人员的背景筛查至关重要。从确保护理人员有资格为患者提供持续护理到寻找可能表明风险的危险信号，员工背景筛查是雇用家庭护理提供者的重要组成部分。
虐待老人是美国的一个主要问题。根据HomeCare 杂志最近发表的一篇文章，每 10 个 60 岁以上的美国人中就有一个遭受过某种形式的老年人虐待。
考虑到虐待老人的频率被忽视，这个数字可能会更高。纽约的一项研究发现，对于执法部门处理的每起老年人经济剥削案件，还有 44 起未报告。
解决虐待老人问题的挑战之一是问题的多样性。虐待老人是指受害者为老年人的任何虐待——通常是 60 岁以上的老年人。身体虐待、言语或心理虐待、盗窃或经济剥削、性虐待：所有这些不同类型的虐待都属于虐待老人的保护伞，这意味着没有一个统一的警告标志清单来检测虐待。
在养老院和辅助生活社区，有更多潜在机会发现虐待老人并加以制止。在护理人员、医生和护士以及其他居民之间，生活在这些环境中的老年人每天都与各种各样的人互动。
虽然老年人尽可能长时间呆在家里有很大的好处（“原地养老”），但缺点之一是住在家里的老年人往往与朋友、家人和其他可能能够看到虐待的迹象。
照护者肩负着巨大的责任来照料仍住在家中的老年人，并以安全、尊重和合乎道德的方式照料。背景筛查家庭护理专业人员是确保护理人员值得承担这种责任的重要组成部分。
通过在老年护理行业更多地使用犯罪背景调查，立法努力防止虐待老人。该家庭护理杂志文章讨论了针对犯罪背景检查未来的雇员支付的目的提供资金，长期护理设施联邦试点方案。尽管试点取得了可喜的成果，但由于获得资金的匹配要求，很少有州永久实施该计划。
让员工背景筛查成为家庭护理行业标准的最佳方式之一是让客户提出要求。许多家庭通过与现有的家庭护理机构合作，为其年长的亲人聘请家庭护理人员。与其假设国家要求这些机构对他们的看护人进行犯罪背景调查或恢复验证检查，家庭应该向机构询问他们的背景筛查政策——并选择与正在采取适当措施保护患者的机构合作他们服务。
虐待老人会对老年人的健康、认知功能、生活质量和生存产生不利影响。背景筛查家庭护理专业人员是防止虐待老人和改善患者预后的重要步骤。在 GOOHO.CN，我们很自豪能够为医院和其他医疗保健提供者提供背景筛查服务。立即联系我们以了解更多信息。
Elder abuse is a major problem in the United States. According to a recent article published by HomeCare Magazine, one in 10 Americans over the age of 60 has suffered some form of elder abuse.
That number could be significantly higher, given how often elder abuse is overlooked. A study in New York found that for every elder financial exploitation case that law enforcement dealt with, another 44 went unreported.
One of the challenges to solving the elder abuse problem is how varied a problem it is. Elder abuse is any abuse in which the victim is an older adult—typically a senior citizen over the age of 60. Physical abuse, verbal or psychological abuse, theft or financial exploitation, sexual abuse: all these different types of abuse can fall under the umbrella of elder abuse, which means that there is not a unified list of warning signs to watch for to detect abuse.
In nursing homes and assisted living communities, there are more potential opportunities for spotting elder abuse and putting a stop to it. Between caregivers, doctors and nurses, and other residents, older adults living in these settings interact with a variety of people every day.
While there are big benefits to seniors staying in their homes for as long as possible (“aging in place”), one of the cons is that older adults living at home tend to be more isolated from friends, family, and other people who might be able to see signs of abuse.
Caregivers have an immense responsibility to care for seniors still living in their homes and to do so safely, respectfully, and ethically. Background screening home care professionals is an essential component of making sure that caregivers are worthy of this level of responsibility.
There have been legislative efforts to prevent elder abuse through the increased use of criminal background checks in the senior care industry. The HomeCare Magazine article discusses a federal pilot program that provided funding to long-term care facilities for the purpose of paying for criminal background checks for prospective employees. Despite promising results from the pilot, very few states implemented the program permanently due to a matching requirement to obtain the funds.
One of the best ways for employee background screening to become standard in the home care industry is for customers to demand it. Many families hire in-home caregivers for their elderly loved ones by working with existing in-home care agencies. Rather than assuming that these agencies are required by the state to conduct criminal background checks or resume verification checks on their caregivers, families should ask agencies about their background screening policies—and choose to work with the ones that are taking appropriate steps to protect the patients they serve.
Elder abuse can have detrimental effects on the health, cognitive function, quality of life, and survival of older adults. Background screening home care professionals is a vital step for preventing elder abuse and improving outcomes for patients. At backgroundchecks.com, we are proud to offer background screening services for hospitals and other healthcare providers. Contact us today to learn more.
