Law allows background checks for seniors’ caregivers
Friday, March 28, 2008
By NATALIE HOFFMAN
Register Staff Writer
California has taken a step forward in preventing seniors from getting fleeced by those who would take advantage of them. Senate Bill 692, authored by state Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield and signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier this month, will enable seniors to request California Department of Justice background checks for home caregivers who assist them with personal and domestic care duties like bathing and housekeeping.
Nancy Schulz, program manager of the Napa County Public Authority — which maintains a registry of In-Home Support Services caregivers who serve low-income seniors — said IHSS caregivers are already subject to a California Department of Justice background check. But she said the new law will target about 3,000 non-IHSS Napa County caregivers who are not subject to the same scrutiny.
According to prosecutors and senior advocates, the elderly are vulnerable to former convicts who view the growing in-home care industry as an opportunity to find easy marks for financial crimes. They are pleased about the new law, but say more needs to be done.
Abridged
SOURCE: napavalleyregister
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