Foster care homeowner charged with elder abuse

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel last Friday announced her Health Care Fraud Division has charged Danielle Baysinger, 41, of Manistee, with four misdemeanor counts of Fourth Degree Vulnerable Adult Abuse and four felony counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance.

Baysinger is the owner of a Manistee adult foster care home where she cared for nine adult residents. She allegedly provided Ativan – an anxiety medication – to an elderly resident without a prescription or the resident’s knowledge. The medication was prescribed to a now-deceased former resident of the home and was not intended for any other resident under Baysinger’s  care.  The investigation further revealed that the medication was never documented in the resident’s pill book and was not kept in a locked medication cabinet as required by law.

“Caring for vulnerable adults can be challenging work, but there is never an adequate excuse to compromise the health and safety of those entrusted to their care,” said Nessel. “My office continues to work tirelessly to protect the health and safety of all elderly Michiganders.”

Baysinger was arraigned at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 2, before Manistee’s 85th District Court Judge Thomas Brunner.

This case illustrates the importance of the Michigan Elder Abuse Task Force established by Nessel and Supreme Court Justices Richard Bernstein and Megan Cavanagh earlier this year. The Task Force includes representatives from more than 50 different organizations around the state who are joining forces to increase awareness, dialogue and solutions to help eliminate elder abuse in Michigan.

Nessel, Bernstein and Cavanagh kicked off a statewide 12-stop Elder Abuse Listening Tour in June. Nessel and Cavanagh will be at the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home in Kalamazoo today, July 9, from 10 a.m. to noon.

For additional information on the Elder Abuse Task Force, visit michigan.gov/elderabuse.