Sex offenders

OldMareLPN · Feb 19, 2010

In states that have civil commitments for sexual offenders, a person may hit the street free again up to seven years after their offense.

At that time their age or disability status may qualify them for nursing home care.

The medical facility (or housing for that matter) that is not doing due diligence in preventing these individuals from taking residence are subjecting their clients and employees to a credible risk.

In most cases, court records and registers can be searched at no cost. Efforts that are free, versus litigation; its costs and publicity, make this a simple decision.

Moogie · Feb 19, 2010

Here is an example of what happens when sex offenders are admitted to a nursing home. Makes me shudder....
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-nursing-home-rape-20100126,0,7127371.story

Thank you for this article. What stood out to me was the fact that often authorities cannot prosecute cases of rape because the victim, who may be suffering a cognitive impairment or mental illness, is unable or unwilling to proceed with the case.

I also found it utterly shameful that one of the biggest causal factors of sexual violence between residents in LTC is a lack of sufficient staffing. But no----corporate has to keep its costs down and its revenues high---even if it's a non-profit facility.

Don't people in LTC, either for rehab, mental illness or for the rest of their lives, deserve the BEST care we can give rather than the WORST?

mondkmondk · Feb 20, 2010

One facility I worked in a couple years ago had a sex offender as a resident whose crime was molestation of female children...his own granddaughter being just one of his victims at the age of 6. He came to that facility from jail due to decline in health. He stayed in his room mostly and kept quiet. But one day a CNA came to me and told me I needed to come to the dining room NOW. When I got down there, I noticed he was trying to get a little girl that had come in to sing for church to sit in his lap. He was offering her candy. I immediately grabbed the little girl and carried her back to the church people and escorted him to his room. I immediately notified my DON and the administrator and had to chart a book on him. The whole situation made me very uncomfortable to say the very least.

I think personally, that there should be some kind of LTC for inmates that are too frail to be in a jail's general population. I don't think inmates should be in a regular LTC....just my personal opinion.

Blessings, Michelle

diane227, LPN, RN · Feb 20, 2010

No because it is not applicable to what we do on med surg. If I have an issue with a patients behavior toward staff I address directly. When I worked in psychiatry, we would occasionally have patients who were sex offenders and it sometimes played a part in the way we structured their care and their permitted interactions with others, depending on the type of offense.

Blackcat99 · Feb 20, 2010

I worked in LTC many years ago. They had a DD sex offender with cellulitis at the LTC. However, he had a "sitter" with him 24 hours a day. I would check him and his sitter on night shift. His sitter was always awake when I checked.

debRN0417 · Feb 27, 2010

Our state has instituted requirements for a sex offender registry for the facilities and each resident is to be made aware of it when they are admitted and sign (or their RP) that they are aware and given information about accessing the registry. The facility also has to be registered to recieve updates to the registry so that they are aware of who is and where they are. The facility cannot discriminate against someone who applies for admission if they are a registered sex offender, however, the facility must decide if they can provide the care this resident needs, and the safety of the other residents.