Predators In Nursing Homes

More Predators, Rapes, and Assaults in Nursing Homes

A Perfect Cause
Jul 31, 2005


800 Registered Sex Offenders Located in Nursing Homes Across America







(Sunday, July 31, 2005 – Oklahoma City, OK) 800 registered sex offenders have been located in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities across the nation, since A Perfect Cause started investigating the issue of Predators in America’s Nursing Homes in May 2004. Almost half are under 60 years of age.

Twenty-two rapes, assaults, arrests, and one murder by criminal offenders living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities are documented in the report released today by the nursing home watchdog group, A Perfect Cause.

Last July, A Perfect Cause published the identities of 380-registered sex offenders living in long-term care facilities. Three other sex offenders were working in nursing homes.

The group reports 638 sex offenders are currently living in long-term care facilities and two more are working in nursing homes. Of the 800 total registered sex offenders, 795 were residents, while five worked in facilities.

Twelve offenders have since been incarcerated, while six others are listed as absconded or address unknown, according to state sex offender registry websites.

The top five states with sex offenders in long-term care facilities since A Perfect Cause started tracking these offenders are Texas (124), Illinois (121), California (106), Ohio (102), and Florida (58). Currently, states with the highest number of offenders actively in long-term care facilities are Texas (100), California (95), Ohio (89), Illinois (76), and Missouri (38).

“The increase in predators residing under the same roof, with no locked door between them and our vulnerable loved ones is very disturbing,” states Wes Bledsoe, president of A Perfect Cause. “Yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are definitely more registered sex offenders and other predators living in nursing homes across America.”

A Perfect Cause has also located sex offenders (who are not required to register), prison and county jail inmates, parolees, violent offenders found incompetent to stand trial, and convicted felons living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Many offenders were placed in these facilities by state and county agencies.

A Perfect Cause’s “Predators In America’s Nursing Homes – 2005 Report” is posted on the not-for-profit organization’s website. Names and locations of registered sex offenders living in long-term care facilities are also posted online at www.APerfectCause.org. Contact Wes Bledsoe at 405.228.0513 / Wes@APerfectCause.org for more information or assistance.

http://www.aperfectcause.org/

Thanks for posting that informative site, Tom'sGirl! That is certainly a scary thought and one I think about too often.

I was happy to find none living where my dear M-I-L lives! I'll sleep better knowing that!

Wow! That was an interesting study. I only thought I had to worry about my aunt's possessions being stolen -- which happens all the time in nursing homes. Not to say that this is anywhere near as important, but you have to admit that stealing from people in nursing homes is majorly scummy behavior. A lot of time I think it's just neglect rather than abuse. My mom bought my aunt two sweaters for Christmas one year and by February they were both missing. The next time, she took pictures of the sweaters she bought and was appalled to see that one was on another resident. Mom pitched a fit and they tried to say they didn't know it was hers. My mom asked them to look at the collar and there it was in black marker -- my aunt's name all across the back of it. I've known people in nursing homes who've had their money stolen and personal memorabilia lifted.

Also, one of the things that people forget is that since there are very few long term hospitals for those with mental illness, if someone with MI cannot function on their own, they are often put in nursing homes.

Nursing homes are often the catcc-alls for anyone from a baby with dolls'eyes and no voluntary function, to the head injured, middle aged person who cannot do their self care tasks independently. There can be such a mix of people in such a place, it would be good for the facilities to do an exhaustive background (security) check on all potential residents. That costs a bit of dinero, so the way to force the issue might be to make the homes legally and financially liable for the placement of such potentially harmful folks into the "general population" of the nursing home. Those offenders might have to go into their own home, or into a separate wing which does not communicate with the other parts of the building. They might even be in a separate building, with a fence dividing them from the "normal" residents.