Unfortunately,whenever medical emergencies arise, we do not have the time nor the skills to provide twenty-four hour care to our family members. Forty years ago, if a parent, sibling or friend was stricken with a sudden illness, the entire community would bind together in a effort to lend a helping hand cooking meals, cleaning or working for their injured friend. However, by becoming caught up in busy corporate lifestyles, they are now left to either care for themselves or shuffled off to live out the rest of their days in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Hospitals and group homes have become our first source for help whenever a loved one becomes terminally ill or disabled.

According to government statistics, roughly 49% of Americans do not have any form of medical insurance. Most of these patients are forced to spend countless hours filling out lengthly forms in an effort to get help from charitable organizations and the medical community. However,despite their efforts, many are still turned down for any assistance. The most common reasons cited are limited services, long waiting lists, lack of funding, a decrease in public donations,and tighter regulations from insurance companies including, Medicaid, and Medicare.This alone makes it almost impossible for anyone to get good, quality, twenty-four hour care whenever they need it! If allowed to continue, this scenario will cause families to make costly mistakes. Tired and strained from worry, they will usually jump at the first chance to place family members into group homes, nursing homes or institutions, when a bed becomes available. What is even more disconcerting, is that the corporate Einsteins' running these facilities want us to believe that we have to accept their shabby and limited way of doing business, along with the poor quality of care they offer.

Regardless of the reasons why, placing a loved one into a long-term medical facility can be frightening especially if its our only option. Still, it's a decision that should be made only after careful planning, not because we feel pressured by friends and the medical community. Doctors, and nurses are usually the first to suggest the idea of long-term placement for elderly patients and disabled children. By listening to their advice and placing our family members, into the hands of medical personnel, we feel we have entered into a win-win situation. After all, we get to sleep easier at night knowing our family members are in capable hands. In the end, the biggest perk comes from being able to protect our source of income by continuing to work.
If we take the time to examine what is being offered as "the usual standard of medical care," we can begin to see the dangers linked with trusting strangers to care for our family members. Unfortunately, for some, assuming they are safe and well cared for can be misleading and deadly.

Since nursing home, group homes and institutions often struggle with hiring qualified people, the workers hired through some of the prison release programs have a past filled with misdemeanors and violent felonies. According to an article released in a Colorado newspaper in 2004, prisons and probation offices have made verbal and written agreements with employers to hire their newly released parolees'. Each employer is given cash incentives up to $2,400 along with an insurance policy, similar to a bond just incase their charges return to a criminal lifestyle during their employment and they are flooding healthcare gates. By ignoring their past criminal histories, health care facilities are enabling newly released parolees' access to all kinds of goodies including patient medication,personal items and victims. Almost daily, somewhere across the nation, there are stories in both local and national newspapers pointing the finger, citing caregive arrests for rape, assault, theft, molestation, physical abuse and murder.

Based on these facts, the next logical question seems to be, since when has this topic become such a problem? Has it always existed or are we just now paying attention to this epidemic because media and patient advocates have decided "enough is enough." Thanks to television shows like 20/20, 60 minutes, and America's Most wanted child abuse issues have been brought to the forefront for years. Still, there seems to be a lack of interest in investigating these neglected patients in our nursing homes. Because of the relentless efforts of victims families, recent legislation has demanded that fingerprinting becomes mandatory in childcare facilities and nursing homes are slowly catching on by tightening down on their background checks as well.These changes make it look like they are at least trying to care for their patients. But if anyone turned on the light of truth in any of these somber organizations, administrators would be hard pressed for answers about how they managed to let violent criminals with a history of alcohol abuse into their facility.

Sociologists agree that crime increases whenever there is a lack of education, social structure, drug abuse and alcohol abuse. That in turns results in violence, lack of empathy and crime. If we believe this statement holds any element of truth than why would they be employing people that have already demonstrated their inability to grasp the damaging effects their actions have on society? And, most importantly,why do did they trust them to care for the most precious members of our family; while paying them a wage?

Whenever I look back over my sons life, I can see that his death from caregiver abuse was no different than many others. Initially, I reached out believing that our healthcare system was safe,efficient, and reliable, along with the people in it. Later, after Michael was laid to rest, I had plenty of time to reflect about what really caused my sons death, the reasons why he died, and how the people in the medical community failed him.