Georgia’s New Rules Crack Down on Abuse

The state of Georgia has recently passed a law that is designed to help seniors live safer lives. Aimed at cracking down on elder abuse, this new law makes it a lot harder for people to get away with abusing seniors and implements a new set of rules to ensure that there are penalties in place if this does still occur. A series of rules have been instituted not just for what to do if abuse is suspected, but also when it comes to hiring caregivers in the first place. All caregivers are now subject to background checks with the hopes that this will make the process a lot more transparent. Hopefully, this helps to create a higher quality of care in the state. It even has the potential to save lives.

 

Additionally, the state is creating a of caregivers that have a history of elder abuse. This registry will be available to the public so that if someone wants to hire a caregiver, they can conduct their own background check before agreeing to bring them into their home and place them in a position of trust and responsibility.

 

Georgia recently passed legislation to crack down on senior abuse.

 

The downside of Georgia’s new law? It doesn’t go into effect until 2021. The reasoning is noble on behalf of Georgia’s legislature: it gives care services a chance to change their practices so that they are fully in compliance with the law before it becomes binding. It also gives companies a chance to ensure that their current employees have all passed background checks. However, because it is so far off in the future, it creates a lot of time for things to continue to go wrong. It is well intended, though. The law is designed to close loopholes that exist when it comes to the hiring of caregivers and ensure that seniors are protected. Unfortunately, changing the law is always a slow and drawn out process. At the very least, more people will be protected moving forward. It’s our hope that Georgia is an example to other states that do not yet have strict laws in place for protecting their most vulnerable residents.

 

Senior abuse is a serious issue, and responsible care services need to do all that they can to prevent it from happening. This is why Paradise In-Home Care does so much to ensure that their employees are fit for the job before they are sent out into the field. This includes an extensive background check before they are hired, insurance, bonding, and ongoing training to make sure that they are prepared for any situation. Many of the things that Georgia will be implementing have been being done voluntarily for years within our company and many others. Still, it is a big step that will be of benefit to the residents of Georgia. By mandating that this information be recorded and available to the public, the hope is that no one who is in this business for the wrong reasons will have access to elderly individuals. This is a good step, and one that can likely be improved upon as it gains traction.

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