An article in The Marion (OH) Star shows the need for background checks on "home help" workers helping inside the house, especially if it involves caring for an elderly person. In the story, the daughter of an elderly mother said her family was devastated when a home health care worker stole more than $3,000 from the 93-year-old woman and wants to make sure this type of elder abuse doesn't happen to anyone else.
According to the article, the home help worker, Lora Huffine, 40, who cashed a check for $3,774.84 sent to the mother's home and took the money, was banned from working in home health care anywhere as part of her punishment, which also includes 20 days in jail and two years of community sanctions. The article reports that Huffine had committed crimes before, and once pleaded guilty to four counts of forgery, and – after violating her sanctions – was sentenced to two years in prison in 2004.
The article reports that the daughter hired Huffine – who wasn't a licensed worker and was found through an advertisement collected from an agency – after interviewing her once for the job of taking care of her mother at the mother's home on weekends, and also that the daughter wishes that she had completed a thorough background check and verified references. An extensive background check can raise "red flags" – like a forgery conviction – that will warn people about possibly hiring criminals as home help care.
While most background check companies focus on large corporations, MyBackgroundCheck.com offers individuals comprehensive Home Help Background Checks to ensure family security and provide protection from people hired to work inside a home, including: Babysitters/Nannies, House Cleaners, Tutors, Contractors, and Home Help Workers, among others.
MyBackgroundCheck.com provides "personal" background checks for millions of individuals to use as jobseekers, renters, volunteers, students, or consumers. For more information on Home Help Background Checks, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!