Protecting The Eldery From Abuse (Rep. Joe Sestak)

Every day, too many of our Nation’s seniors and disabled become victim to physical, emotional, or other abuse. Thousands of individuals with a history of substantiated abuse or a criminal record are hired every year to work closely with especially vulnerable seniors within our nation’s nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. I introduced the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act to help ensure that patients in long-term care will not be at the mercy of those with an abusive past.

As the current system of state-based background checks is haphazard and inconsistent, predators can evade detection throughout the hiring process, securing jobs that allow them to assault, abuse, and steal from defenseless elders and disabled patients. The bill builds on a highly successful pilot program enacted as part of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act. That effort enabled seven states to make major improvements in their existing screening and prevented more than 7,000 applicants with a history of substantiated abuse or a violent criminal record from working with and preying upon our elders and individuals with disabilities. This bill enables all states to benefit from this program by providing funding for the establishment of coordinated systems that include checks against abuse and neglect registries and a state police check, which facilities can utilize on a voluntary basis.

This bill goes hand in hand with my Elder Abuse Victims Act that passed the House in February. That legislation includes a number of measures to improve programs that prevent physical, emotional and financial harm to seniors and to aid the prosecution of those who commit despicable acts against our nation’s seniors.

We must commit to ending the cruel mistreatment done to so many of our elders and other vulnerable citizens. These bills are important steps towards this goal.