Isn’t public access supposed to be for the public? The decision by SLO County Court’s Susan Matherly to remove the self-help computer terminals that allow family members to conduct background checks on caregivers for their elderly loved ones is a shame (“To serve or protect?” March 29).
As a care manager and advocate for senior citizens, I know that a large percentage of “caregivers” coming into homes have criminal backgrounds. The families seeking non-criminals to provide in-home care for their loved ones need access to the information on these computer terminals, now taken away by Matherly.
I agree that the terminals are not for professional data miners/background check contractors who use public resources for profit. But what about an 89-year-old client whose family unwittingly hired a predatory caregiver from an ad on craigslist and was unable to learn of the multiple elder abuse convictions until it was too late?
Please find a way to reinstate this public access resource for the public, not the profiteers.
This article appears in Apr 12-19, 2012.