Obviously, I don’t want to make light of elder abuse, but this article from the Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News caught my eye:
Care home figure had criminal record
One of four people charged with neglecting and abusing patients at five personal-care nursing homes in Lebanon County served a four-year term for attempted homicide and aggravated assault in the late 1980s. Clifford E. Fake was in the Lebanon County Prison from 1986 to 1990, convicted of multiple charges. But his criminal background did not prevent the state Department of Welfare from issuing a license to his wife, Tina Fake, to operate a care home in Palmyra. The Department of Welfare requires criminal background checks of license applicants. Investigators in Lebanon County are trying to determine whether Mrs. Fake hid her husband’s background from the state. The couple, along with a son, Kyle M. Leeper, and an employee, Patricia M Remlinger, have been charged by police.
And what gives with the crim check? I had to pass just to work in the front office of a foster-care agency. How in the world could the Department of Welfare miss this?
With a Last name like that…Hello?
What bells wouldn’t go off, even among the most politically correct of us…..
I have had to pass crim check in the past for work with community service board. I believe that checks are not done thoroughly. I have no idea why. It seems like it would not be so much trouble, particularly with our friend the computer available. Oh, that’s right…some can only search one word at a time.
Last job with CSB, working with MI/MR clients in supervised living, as a 40 hr/wk non benefited substitute. I applied for full time, when position became open. It was given to other sub, who was disliked by both residents and line staff due to her disrespctful way with the residents. Most every staff person had mentioned this tendency of hers to the supervisor, who repeatedly told us “dealing with it”. I assume this woman also had passed check, but then again…She was hired full time.
She verbally abused a resident in a store one day, and was reported. While they were “investigating”, she was clocked up along side the head by aforementioned resident, with a large purse, for “not playing well with others”. She pressed charges against the resident, we suspect as retaliation against the investigation. The investigation revealed that both she and her husband had past charges for abuse of foster children.
I have often wondered how in the hell this happens.
She didn’t have quite so a wonderful name though!
For over Ten Years, I worked in both private and State environments. Some had deep checks, others didn’t.
Unfortunately even the checked sites had either financial or staffing problems. Every site had abuses.
There is an enormous load on overworked, underpaid staff, and this will sometimes reveal itself in ugly ways.
But hey… Haliburton has plenty of money.
Was John Smith taken?
I work with a guy named John Smith…we call him Smitty. No, I’m not making this up.
I fear that there are many events like this that are buried.
Thank you for bringing this one to our attention.