Facing accusations that they failed to respond to a surge in elder abuse cases, leaders of Minnesota's senior care industry are now taking a tougher stand, embracing a number of reforms aimed at protecting vulnerable seniors.
At a Senate committee hearing Wednesday, the top executive for the state's largest trade group for the senior care industry said her members support tougher criminal sanctions against perpetrators of abuse, better communication with family members of abuse victims, and stronger protections for those who report maltreatment, among other changes.
"Senior living providers and the dedicated caregivers who serve Minnesota's growing population of aging citizens have zero tolerance for maltreatment of vulnerable adults," said Patti Cullen, president and chief executive of Care Providers of Minnesota, which represents nearly 900 senior care organizations across the state.
The comments are the clearest indication yet that members of the industry are willing to support some substantive changes in laws affecting senior care facilities.
A five-part Star Tribune series published in November chronicled multiple breakdowns in the state's handling of elder abuse cases. The series documented that hundreds of residents at senior care centers across Minnesota are beaten, sexually assaulted or robbed each year.
The vast majority of these incidents are never resolved, and the perpetrators have gone unpunished, in part because the state health agency lacks the resources to investigate them, the series revealed. Even when cases are investigated, they often drag on for months, undermining criminal prosecutions and frustrating families of abuse victims.
Gov. Mark Dayton responded to the series by convening a state working group led by families of elder abuse victims and senior advocates. In January, that group released a long and detailed list of recommended reforms. These include tougher penalties against facilities where serious abuse occurs; changes to state law to give abuse victims and their families access to reports of abuse; enhanced criminal prosecution of abusers; and increased oversight of the fast-growing assisted-living industry, which cares for about 60,000 Minnesotans but operates under lighter regulation than nursing homes.
Until now, representatives of the senior care industry have kept largely silent about these proposals, even as dozens of families of abuse victims have made multiple trips to the State Capitol to share searing stories of beatings, sexual assaults, verbal abuse and other incidents of maltreatment. On Wednesday, however, senior care industry representatives apologized to victims and stressed the need for urgent action.
