Neglect and Abuse: A Strategy for a Paradigm Shift
There have been several recent articles about the abuse of people with disabilities and those who are incarcerated. What do these groups have in common? Nothing for which they are responsible when it comes to their abuse! The commonality is the responsibility of states entrusted with their safety and well being and how often this is being mishandled despite the expenditure of large sums of money. This can and must be changed.
From the age of 18 and for over 40 years, I have very successfully worked with people with disabilities(cognitive, developmental, and emotional) and other vulnerable citizens, pioneering models of support and care which have been trans-formative and raised the quality of life of the beneficiaries.Â
As Maslow described in his “hierarchy of needs”, basic security is at the foundation of all human needs. People must feel safe and and have their basic needs(food, shelter, etc) provided for. Anything less, leads to anxiety, depression and other aberrant behavior that is more costly to society and damaging to the impacted individuals. Unfortunately, in too many situations, the most vulnerable of our citizens are neglected, disrespected, diminished, ignored, and in the worst cases, abused. This is totally unacceptable and avoidable.
How can this paradigm of neglect and abuse be changed? This is one case in which it is not a monetary issue. Not an additional dollar needs to be spent by states or the federal government to mitigate this human degradation and social travesty. The issue is how the money is spent and having a system which decreases the likelihood of this too readily accepted behavior.
-Create a corporate culture that emphasizes treating people with dignity and respect  and trains leaders to make this a top priority in their daily work.
-Ensure that all people have a voice and that they, their guardians and family members have the opportunity on a regular basis to provide feedback on the quality of their care and, more importantly, their quality of life.
-Listen carefully for trends in what people have to say.
-Through a rigorous screening process hire the “right” people, those who are compassionate, have good values that are consistent with those of the organization, have high social/emotional intelligence, are problem solvers, and value and respect diversity. Never use the excuse that “they don’t make a lot of money” to lower your standards and expectations.
-Create and implement orientation and training programs for staff at all levels that heighten awareness, provide skill acquisition, and establish standards, values, and acceptable behaviors.
-Provide ongoing supervision that develops self awareness, helps employees deal with frustration, and monitors employees’ feelings and needs, offering empathy, and alternative behaviors.
-Empower those who are being served, their families, and those who serve them so that they will never view themselves as victims, rather as their own best advocates.
-Have a true “open door policy” that provides access for staff at all levels to leadership at all levels.
-Implement a 360 degree staff evaluation process, that is more likely to identify problems before they become a crisis.
-Establish Employee Recognition Programs that foster a meritocracy and high staff morale.
-“Catch people being good” so that desired behaviors are more likely to be repeated.
-Have mentoring programs and a career ladder that build future leaders who understand and live the corporate culture of participatory management, respect and decency.
-Encourage and reward teamwork so that employees feel connected to and supported by one another.
-Build a sense of ownership in employees and other stakeholders so that they ultimately feel a sense of responsibility for the organization and will be invested in appropriate behaviors and quality and will never accept neglect or abuse.
-Reward people who come forward with issues and never betray their trust and confidence.
-Never condone or explain neglect or abuse. Hold the abuser accountable and treat it as you would a crime. Termination is an appropriate response. This makes a statement to other employees.Â
These are but a few proven methods of decreasing the likelihood of abuse and neglect. There are more, but these are a good place to begin.
As President Kennedy said, we are measured as a society by how we treat our most vulnerable citizens. Neglect and abuse are unacceptable and avoidable and must be treated accordingly.
