State Lawmakers Attempt to Create Adult Abuser Database

State databases for employees convicted of nursing home abuse would help track individuals seeking jobs caring for seniors.

Most people assume that if someone abuses an elder or other vulnerable adult, the perpetrator would never get placed into a position of trust over such individuals ever again. However, this is not the case in many states. For example, states like Kentucky have no such database to track employees convicted of nursing home abuse.

According to figures from Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services, in 2013, there were 8,707 investigations into cases of adult abuse, including various forms of senior abuse. Of these, more than a thousand were found to be substantiated. However, virtually nothing prevents most of the individuals involved from seeking employment in the same line of work. A registry could allow families and senior care facilities to augment their background checks to find out if individuals have had substantiated charges of nursing home abuse against them.

Such a registry faces several serious challenges. The vast majority of abuse against elders goes unreported. This can be for a variety of reasons. Elder abuse is often carried out by family members or other trusted caregivers. Additionally, many seniors could lack the faculties to report an abuser. In other cases, the seniors are dependent on the people that exploit them. Because of this, very few cases of nursing home abuse wind up going to the police, and even fewer result in a conviction.

But several lawmakers in Kentucky are aiming to change this.

In Kentucky, State Senator Sara Beth Gregory has taken steps towards creating a database of individuals accused of exploiting vulnerable adults like seniors. Gregory admits that there is currently no system in place to prevent people accused of crimes against vulnerable adults from jumping from nursing home to nursing home.

Previous efforts to create adult abuser registries have failed in Kentucky. Sticking points have included the cost of creating such a database, ensuring that due process is followed for the accused, and new, complicated procedures for employers.

Several steps have been taken to address these issues. First, Senator Gregory’s bill contains provisions to address the issue of the rights of the accused. These accusations would have to stand up in administrative hearings or circuit court before an individual could wind up on the list. Additionally, the governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear has already earmarked $2 million dollars for the process of creating such a database.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuits Help Families Seek Redress

Lawsuits have been filed by the victims of elder abuse and their families. These elder abuse lawsuits and nursing home abuse lawsuits allege that various trusted caregivers have perpetrated a variety of forms of abuse against seniors. These lawsuits seek to use civil action to obtain compensation for such abuse.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of elder abuse at a nursing home, assisted living facility or other long-term care center, you’ve almost certainly been through a trying ordeal. All forms of senior abuse involve a betrayal of trust, which can be a devastating betrayal. But you need to remember that regardless of the challenges you are facing, you still have rights, and there are steps that you can take to regain a degree of control over your situation. You can start by visiting the Elder Abuse, Nursing Home Neglect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Here, you can enter information about your situation for a free legal review by a nursing home abuse lawyer trained in this type of litigation.