Experts
say the horrific abuse that allegedly occurred last week at a
$5,500-a-month assisted-living center is not uncommon among
the vulnerable population in the loosely regulated industry.
One elder-abuse expert noted that assisted-living facilities, unlike nursing homes, receive no
governmental subsidy, and therefore have little governmental oversight.
In the referenced case, four elderly women were allegedly assaulted by a certified nursing assistant at a facility which specializes in treating people with Alzheimer’s disease and other
memory-loss conditions. The company took in $210 million in revenue in
2007.
Unlike registered nurses - who must complete two to five years of
higher education, pass a national licensing exam and be approved by the
state board - CNAs face far less stringent requirements: A six- to
12-week training course. In the state where the incidents occurred, most CNAs make between $10
and $16 an hour, according to labor statistics.
“Our hearts go out to the residents and to their families,” said
the president of the assisted living facility, who
emphasized the company will reinforce “with rigor its safety, security,
and training procedures to ensure this will never happen again.”
“Nursing homes are more heavily regulated than nuclear power
plants,” said an elder-abuse expert at Boston
University. They are evaluated by agencies including the state and
federal departments of Health and Human Services and the Joint
Commission accrediting organization.
But free-standing assisted-living facilities, she said, “are virtually unregulated.”
At both types of facilities, low-paid certified nursing assistants bathe, dress and feed the fragile patients.
The aide who has been arrested was certified in June 2004 and hired that year,
after a CORI and immigration check. There had been no complaints about
her work until last week, when a co-worker’s report spurred an
investigation.
Police arrested the aide on
Thursday night. She is charged with seven counts of assault and battery
and is under house arrest. For more, read the story.
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Robert W. Carter, Jr. is a
Virginia attorney whose law practice is dedicated to protecting the
rights of the victims of nursing home and assisted living neglect and
abuse in Richmond, Roanoke, Norfolk, Lynchburg,
Danville, Charlottesville, and across Virginia.