Home healthcare abuse is a serious problem. If you're being abused or neglected by your home healthcare provider, or if you think someone else is, don't hesitate to contact the state agency that oversees home healthcare providers; file criminal charges if you have to.

Be aware that while home healthcare providers in most (if not all) states have to do criminal background checks on their potential employees, that doesn't mean that they have to take what they find seriously. In fact, in most states they can hire someone with a criminal background if they want.

Home healthcare offers an opportunity for you or a loved one to live at home with dignity, even in the face of a debilitating illness or accident, but it's fraught with problems. You should be very careful about who you let come into your home, even if they're there under the aegis of a reputable agency.