ISLAND VOICES
We must protect the weakest among us

By Alicia Maluafiti
Associate director of AARP Hawaii

The death of a 1-year-old Nanakuli child was a horrible tragedy that could have been prevented. The quick response by lawmakers to investigate the circumstances surrounding the infant's death is appropriate, responsible and admirable.

It's unfortunate that our lawmakers, and society in general, do not place as high a value on protecting the lives of our frail and elderly who are also dependent on others for their care. Until The Honolulu Advertiser's series on elder abuse and neglect, deaths of residents in adult residential care homes and even the manslaughter arrest in January 2003 of a Waipahu care-home operator didn't even make front-page news. Aside from family members grieving from their losses, public outcry was nominal.

Repeated calls by advocacy groups for stricter regulations to ensure quality care and prevent these types of deaths from happening again were met with strong opposition by care-home operators, legislators who have a large number of care homes in their district and even Gov. Cayetano. For over seven years, care-home lobbyists and their supporters have successfully defeated every effort to mandate unannounced inspections and improve standards of care for our frail and elderly.

AARP Hawaii believes the same standard applied to protecting children should be applied to protecting the health, safety and welfare of our frail, elderly and other dependent adults who cannot care or even speak for themselves. We don't believe that all adult-care-home operators are abusing and neglecting their residents. But some of them are. And some residents have died as a result. Their deaths should also raise deep concerns by our lawmakers.

Inspectors, parents and even guardians can visit childcare centers at any time, on any day, for any reason. Adult-care homes are not held to this same standard. Instead, care-home operators receive advance notice of an upcoming inspection. Some families have even reported that they're required to schedule visitations with family members in care homes. Policies and practices, such as unannounced visits, should be in place to protect our most vulnerable people — not just children, but our frail and elderly, too.

It's time for our society to reflect on why we continue to place a lower value on the health and safety of our frail and elderly.