Napa Valley Caregiver Permit Ordinance
Did you know that every two minutes in California, an elderly or dependent adult becomes the victim of abuse? The most common perpetrators of such crimes are the very people hired to care for our elderly or infirm.
On July 1, 2011, Napa County enacted California’s first Caregiver Permit Ordinance, that would require those who care for the elderly or dependent undergo a background check and carry a permit.
The potential for crimes against the elderly is only increased by the likelihood that those who are dependent upon their caretakers do not report the crimes. When the ordinance was enacted, the Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein said, “Elder abuse in California is on the rise, especially with the current economy. In reality, [the number of crimes] could be much higher because elder abuse is underreported.”
The Napa County Commission on Aging and the Area Agency on Aging worked together to create the program, the first of its kind in California. The ordinance was passed at the county level and then ratified by each of the five cities in the county.
The need for this protection was made even clearer after a murder in Contra Costa County. There, a home care worker had spent three and a half years in custody before her release. She then became a caregiver to a 70-year old woman whom she then stabbed to death and stole her car, cash, and passport. The woman elderly was a paraplegic who had advertised for help on Craigslist.
Now, any one who wishes to receive money or room and board for caregiving must not have been convicted of a felony in the last decade, have been denied for a similar permit in the previous five years, or made false statements on their application.
The ordinance was intended to give elderly or dependent adults more information about who they are inviting into their homes and lives, and protect them from horrible crimes and abuse.
The ordinance, which has become a model in the State, is worthy of being recognized as the 2011 PublicCEO New Ordinance of the Year.
