Earlier this week, the state of Iowa reversed a decision to keep secret the names of people fired from nursing home facilities for abusing elderly residents. The decision was made by Attorney General Tom Miller and came nine months after the state began to limit this information.

For years, the names of Iowa caregivers who were fired for abuse were revealed publicly by the Iowa Workforce development. However, last August, some of the judges who preside over the public hearings on worker's benefit claims began sealing the records of these cases.

The judges were sealing from public view the names of the offenders, their employers and the cities where the abuse occurred. Surprisingly, the names of those cleared of abuse--or accused of lesser crimes--were still being treated as public record.

In one case, a disabled adult died in a wheelchair accident at a care facility and in another an elderly resident was conned out of $1,000 worth of cash and gift cards.

The decision to restore public access to the abuse information means that the public once again has the ability to review other abuse-related documents.

Nursing home abuse is a serious problem in America today. If you believe someone you care about is the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact a nursing home abuse attorney by calling 1 800 ATTORNEY today.