Reports of Abuse by In-home Caregivers in Escondido Dismissed by Officials

As residents of the great state of California, we hope that our government officials are doing everything they can to protect us—especially the elderly among us, who are less able to protect themselves. But an independent investigative group has published a scathing report claiming that the Department of Public Health inappropriately ignored many reports of abuse by in-home caregivers in Escondido and across the region.

Inexcusable Actions

The weight of the problem of elder abuse in our state is illustrated by the problem that the Department faced: with a mountain of complaints filed by family members of seniors, officials decided that they needed to take drastic measures to catch up. Tragically, their idea was to reduce the number of complaints by secretly dismissing them. But each time an agent hides a file away without investigating it, he violates the trust that seniors and their families put in their local government.

Increasing Danger

Oddly enough, the inappropriate dismissal of abuse complaints actually increases the danger that seniors face from abusive in-home caregivers in San Diego County. While a caregiver may lose his job over an abuse claim, he can simply move to another job if the state never prosecutes the crime. That puts additional seniors in harm’s way. In fact, the caregiver may become more willing to commit another crime if they did not suffer legal consequences the first time.

Seek Out the Best In-home Caregivers in San Diego County

The best way to protect your loved ones from abuse is to thoroughly check the credentials of the caregivers you hire for them. Don’t be fooled by someone with a murky background who offers to provide care for a very low price. Background checks and drug tests are absolute necessities, and it is safest to hire from a company that keeps its employees accountable to both a manager and the client.