Program to remove criminals from nursing homes terminated

The Chicago Tribune has been running an excellent series of nursing home abuse articles detailing in sickening detail how criminals and sex offenders are residing in nursing homes and are all too often victimizing the disabled seniors who live alongside them in resident on resident nursing home assaults.  Sadly, the stories in the newspaper echoed the experiences many of my clients have had.

I was disturbed to see that the State Police had a program in place until 2006 for sweeping out sex offenders, fugitives, and other criminals from nursing home facilities.  The officers interviewed described how nursing home residents would cheer as they removed some of the criminal residents that terrorized them so.  The net result was a dramatic reduction in the number complaints received by law enforcement authorities.

The sweeps program was terminated in 2006 due to budget cuts.  The number of nursing home inspectors was reduced at the same time.  While this was going on, nursing homes were admitting as residents ever increasing numbers of convicted felons and sex offenders.  It should be no surprise that there has been a dramatic increase in the number and severity of resident on resident nursing home assaults.

The articles confirmed for me that the practice of admitting younger, mentally ill resident with criminal backgrounds alongside geriatric residents with physical disabilities (as well as possible issues with confusion or impaired judgment) is a formula which only leads to grief when the older resident is the victim of an attack.  The question is, if I can see it, why can't the nursing home administration see it and why do they keep doing it.

The sad answer is that it is all due to the pursuit of the might dollar.  Our seniors deserve better.