Who holds caregivers responsible?
Where is the accountability in the care giving field when it comes to working with the developmentally disabled? I find it disturbing when I walk into a casino and there I see a person who is obviously mentally handicapped standing next to a person who is supposed to be caring for him pulling on a slot machine. Do these people who are trusted to give these disabled persons a quality of life learning environment so self absorbed that they have succumbed to their addictions to the detriment of their clients? This behavior displays itself as a callus compromise and decomposition of morals in individuals in a position of trust. I am a caregiver and I understand that there is little to do in a community as small as ours, but it is simply callus and self-serving to entertain yourself while collecting a paycheck in the name of a human being who has been deemed incapable of self-sufficiency. This type of behavior is not only unfair to the client, but also to the companies that are paying these employees. This is not an isolated incident. Maybe you who are reading this have seen a similar scenario as you were visiting one of our many casinos. My question is this, who holds these care givers responsible for their actions? I realize there are many cases far more severe where the caregiver has abused a client financially and/or physically. This unfortunately is far too common in this community where many of our citizens are elderly and the demand for quality care is sparse, not to mention expensive in our economic state. Nevertheless it is still morally unacceptable and I believe the “lesser of two evils is still evil”. We as a community of “able” people are responsible to look after the best interests of our children, the elderly and the infirm. I encourage all who are reading this to become active in that responsibility. Also, I hope all who are reading this know that there are decent caregivers out there and know that the job is to serve and not self-serve in every situation.
Lisa Lewis
Lakeport
