Date: July 22, 2011By: Atlanta Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys

According to the New York Times, the Department of Health and Human Services released a study this year that finds 92 percent of nursing homes in the country have at least one employee with a criminal conviction on his or her record. When looking at the employees as a whole, five percent have at least one conviction, in a sample size of over 35,000.

The report also states that nearly half of the facilities employed five or more such individuals. Only ten states require a background check of F.B.I. and state criminal records for employment in a nursing home, another 33 require a check of state records only, and the remaining seven do not have any requirements concerning criminal history. This may go to explain why these numbers are so high.

There is one federal regulation that stipulates that nursing homes may not employ an individual who has been found guilty of abuse or neglect of patients in the past. This only applies to their history of working in the nursing home industry, however, and F.B.I. records do not always indicate whether victims in assault convictions are assisted living patients.

Politicians and professionals have come forward to say that this information serves to underline the importance of more federal regulation of these facilities. At the very least, it shows the importance of choosing an assisted living facility wisely and keeping a watchful eye out for signs of abuse and neglect against our loved ones. If your loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect in Atlanta, contact our experienced Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyers today for a free consultation.

---

Keywords: nursing home abuse causes, atlanta nursing home abuse