THE AGING OF AMERICA - Article #2 - Choose a Caregiver with Caution

The Aging of America

Title: Choose a Caregiver with Caution

Article Two

TODAY’S CAREGIVER MAGAZINE reports that 90% of the seniors still live at home. It is estimated that there are over 600,000 caregivers in the US providing care while costing seniors nearly $7 billion in salaries per year. It is estimated that 20% of all caregivers have some kind of police record and have stolen from past clients. The caregiver industry is highly unregulated. The majority of the caregiver agencies do not perform any background checks nor do they do drug testing. The growing problem in the industry resulting in substandard care is having one caregiver care for too many seniors.

ARIZONA AARP PRESIDENT
CARL ERICKSON

Arizona AARP’s new president, Carl Erickson, stated in recent AARP Chapter #1 Meeting on May 3, 2013, that its new focus will be the need for background checks for caregivers.  Arizona is one of six states that do not require any caregiver background checks. AARP Arizona’s new goal is getting the Caregiver Background Check State Law passed which would better protect Arizona seniors. On a personal note, we are familiar with this serious caregiver problem because we had a felon in charge of the senior living facility where we lived. That felon made his living abusing and scamming seniors. His criminal activities started in 1999 with nearly 2,700 false Medicare Claims totaling over $70,000.00. Our elder abuse fighting was responsible for his recent termination and incarceration.

A good example of is the new Wisconsin Caregiver Law which requires background and criminal history checks of all caregivers. The law requires caregiver companies to investigate and report incidents of misconduct (abuse, neglect or theft). The Division of Quality Assurance (DQA) has been set up in Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services to regulate caregivers. The DQA issues Caregiver licenses (cost is $18 per year per license), maintains a Misconduct Registry, and disciplines bad and Criminal Caregivers. The new Wisconsin Caregiver Law requires all Caregivers to be bonded.

The Caregiver Industry is the fastest growing franchise industry. The largest caregiver franchise is Home Instead which was founded in 1997, and it now has over 1,350 franchises in the US and around the world. The cost of a Home Instead franchise is $80,000, and it generates an average of 30-40% profits for the business owner. The average cost of a caregiver is $25 an hour by the business, but the actual caregiver is only paid $12 an hour. The non-profit organization Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) National Center on Caregiving is a great information resource for investigating the caregiver industry in all 50 states. The FCA’s phone number is (415) 434-3388 or (800) 445-8106.

In July, 2012, The Journal of American Geriatrics Society published a Northwestern University study of 180 Caregiver Agencies. The study found:

1.  Only 55% did a federal background check.

2.  Over 50% did a criminal records check.

3.  Only 33% did drug testing.

4.  Only 33% did home visits and monitored the caregiver’s performance.

The Journal of American Geriatrics Society stated that the following hiring requirements of caregivers, should be:

1. All caregivers need criminal background checks.

2. All caregivers should be bonded.

3. All caregivers should be certified in CPR or have health-related training.

4. All caregiver competencies should be tested. (These include lifting and transfers, homemaking skills and personal care skills such as bathing, dressing, toileting, and training in behavior management.)

5. All caregivers need a backup caregiver.

6. All caregivers’ performances should be monitored at least twice a year.

AARP reported the five clues to warn you that your caregiver is stealing from you:

1.  Receipts don’t add up.

2.  Frequent cell phone usage on the job.

3.  Cultivation of a personal connection.

4.  Bids for sympathy.

5.  Missing work on Mondays.

“One person caring about another represents life's greatest value.”   Jim Rohn – Motivational Speaker

Note:  The next column will be about the Elder Care Referral Agencies (ECRA) is a huge new internet and telephone marketing industry, which locates senior living facilities for prospective new senior housing. This may appear to be free, but it is not free because the senior living center pays an average of $3,500.00 for every new senior resident, called a “Bounty”. The largest ECRA is A Place for Mom.

Mark and Carol Fairall

Copyright Fairall 2013