Nursing Home Abuse Advocate : Idaho Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers & Attorneys : Kormanik Hallam & Sneed Law Firm : ID Assisted Living Neglect, Nursing Home Injuries : Boise, Nampa, Caldwell

In a recent New York Times' article, Robert Pear writes about a disturbing fact: More than 90% of nursing homes in the United States "employ one or more people who have been convicted of at least one crime." Frankly, I find that disconcerting.

Mr. Pear's story is based upon a report issued by Daniel R. Levinson, inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, who obtained the names of more than 35,000 nursing home employees and then checked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to see if they had criminal records.According to Mr. Levinson: “Our analysis of F.B.I. criminal history records revealed that 92 percent of nursing facilities employed at least one individual with at least one criminal conviction.” He went on to say: “Nearly half of nursing facilities employed five or more individuals with at least one conviction. For example, a nursing facility with a total of 164 employees had 34 employees with at least one conviction each.

The rules that govern Idaho nursing homes and assisted living facilities require criminal background checks be performed. There are also certain "disqualifying crimes" which prohibit a person from working in a nursing home such as abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult, among many others. Although the potential employee must "self-report" any criminal convictions, they must also provide finger prints for their criminal background investigation.

No system is fool-proof, however. Make sure to report any suspicious activity to your nursing home or assisted living facility. As the Department of Health and Human Services' survey reveals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities are hiding a "dirty little secret": they employ some unsavory characters.

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It is simply amazing what a person can do with a little knowledge, a computer, and bad intentions. A story by Mariann Martin out of Jackson, Tennessee reveals the lengths one person went to in order to hide her identity. The story, featured on the Jackson Sun's website reports on the arrest of Sheila Watson, who was the "social director" at Bells Nursing Home, in Bells, Tennessee.

According to the article, Ms. Watson, if that is indeed her name, had provided the facility with forged copies of "a University of Memphis diploma, college transcripts, a letter and a Social Security card" when she applied for her job. Apparently Ms. Watson had worked at the nursing home since July 2009. Why would Ms. Watson go through so much trouble to land the social director position? It seems she has a long criminal history including a conviction of identity theft, among others. 

Although the nursing home has, to date, been unable to unearth any evidence Ms. Watson was attempting to defraud the facility, the story does not address the obvious question: Did Ms. Watson go through all that trouble to create an identity not to defraud the facility, but to befriend and, perhaps financially exploit, the vulnerable residents of the Bells Nursing Home?

It just goes to show you; it is difficult to ensure the staff at your nursing home are who they represent themselves to be. Could Bells Nursing Home have done a more thorough background investigation before placing Ms. Watson in a position of trust? What steps does your nursing home facility take to ensure its employees are who they purport to be? 

Ms. Watson's cover was blown when the nursing home received a call from a state agency which, in turn, had received a "tip" about her. Ms. Watson may never have been discovered if not for the concern of the tipster. If you know someone working in a nursing home is not who they claim to be, report it. If you observe anything out of the ordinary concerning the staff of your nursing home, again, report it. The facility has an obligation to hire qualified individuals to provide care for its residents. You can help ensure the nursing home does so.

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