This is why I'm not going to any care facility. I'll keep a stash of sleeping pills first.

This kind of thing will keep happening over and over for as long as we're on our national suicide mission of "austerity" for the bottom 95% of us. These care jobs are very hard and extremely underpaid. That's why the facilities ask for variances to allow convicted criminals to be permitted to do this work; because nobody else who has a choice will take the difficult underpaid jobs with no benefits. Making things worse is that it's always the enforcement personnel at the oversight agencies who are let go first in budget cuts, to "get the government off the back of business." That's why we have all the contaminated food; the USDA has let go even the barest minimum of inspectors needed. That's why there's so much Medicare fraud; there's nobody left to audit the companies that file false claims. And now we have repeat offenders getting hired back to prey on their helpless, elderly victims again. So what's the solution? Apparently, it's to cut wages, cut the agencies that inspect and enforce basic standards, and cut Medicare and Social Security, so families are even less able to afford to protect their vulnerable loved ones. This isn't going to get better soon. "BUD" may, unfortunately, have the right idea.

Maybe there should be a requirement that the person living in the facility and the families be told or shown a copy of everyones background check. While I believe that there needs to be protection for the vulnerable, if someone made a small mistake years ago, it shouldnt necesarily be held agianst them. But the person living in the home and the families should have a right to know...either that or NO exceptions

Start sending these would-be "caretakers" AND their management to prison and things would change in a hurry at assisted living/nursing homes. Those who abuse and exploit the elderly are among the lowest of the low...Just above those who vindicate them by declaring "No wrongdoing".

Good job by the Star Tribune on this and other recent articles detailing abuses in the elder care fields and state government oversight!

I agree with the prison idea. These are bullies, thieves and their abettors. Further, the state employees who gave a waiver to these people should be fired for cause. (Not a problem even under a union contract).

This is another example of the left hand not knowing, or not caring what the other hand is doing. Who is checking the checker? People who steal a pack of cigaretts gets more time than this person. Someone ought to be fired. There must be some nepatism going on here or how else could this happen.

Maybe the health dept. should be held accountable, if part of their job is taking care of elderly, vulnerable adults. Also, I think if elders have children, they are to blame too. Why aren't they watching their parents finances? If you go and see them, why aren't you making sure your parents are not being robbed! It's a shame. So who is to blame? Not the health dept., not the home, and surely not the caregiver. Then who? Yes, this has been going on a long time and why is it still going on? I wouldnt want this women near my vulnerable mom or dad. If she was and robbed them of their hard earned money, hey she would never do it again! Too easy on everyone. Why?

In WI people having a checkered past are Not allowed to work with the elderly. The employment application provides questions regarding ones past experience, whether theyve ever been convicted of abuse. Laws need to change before changes will be made, and even then, there will be those that havent got a record of abuse that will pose new threats to the elderly.

There are a lot of problems in Nursing homes. The Nursing homes should NOT have access to anyone's finances to begin with. An independant service should be doing it. Not all residents have any family to help them. But worse than the theft issues, many of these homes are also guilty of poor quality care to these defenseless human beings. When I've been visiting I see a patient with his light on because he needs to go to the bathroom, and his light goes unanswered for over an hour. Yet when I go to look for someone, I see a bunch of workers sitting around gabbing and ignoring their work. Granted, most places are too understaffed. But because the homes have such lousy pay, they get a lot of lousy help. You get what you pay for. I've seen nurses bully the residents, I've seen young girls giggle at the residents because they have memory issues, and trouble expressing themselves verbally. Many of these folks have had strokes, and it's not easy for them to speak. I can't stomach seeing them get laughed at by people who are supposed to be caring for them. I hear stories from residents that make my hair stand up on end. They are at the mercy of their care givers, and they don't dare tell anyone what is going on. It's a horror story. My father was in a nursing home for rehab after having his leg amputated. He had to go to the bathroom and turned on his light but no one came for over 45 minutes, just some of the workers who would walk right by his room and not stop. He only had one leg and was recovering from surgery from a few days before. When he knew he was about to wet himself, he tried to get into a wheel chair to go by himself. He fell on the floor and couldn't get back up onto the chair or the bed. His room-mate witnessed the whole thing. Dad told us the next day. But the nursing home couldn't find any notes in his record about it. He laid there on the floor for a long time before someone finally came in, and then yelled at him for getting out of bed by himself. He was so angry and so were we, his daughters, when we found out. This stuff goes on and on and on and nothing happens. Old people are not valued in our society, and nursing homes do not pay enough to get high quality help. Who wants to work there for peanuts when you can work somewhere for decent money?