As sex offenders around Tampa Bay age, where will they go for nursing care?
Roughly a third of all registered sex offenders in Pinellas County are 55 or older, according to Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office data. Many have spent decades behind bars and are reentering society as older adults.
When their health deteriorates, these seniors often are barred from accessing housing that can meet their medical needs, even as research suggests their risk of reoffending declines. Nursing homes that provide this care have to make tough calls, weighing liability risks and the safety of other residents who may be vulnerable to abuse due to their own medical conditions.
As a result, hundreds of older adults in Tampa Bay who have served their sentences rely on an ad hoc network of care from roommates, friends or landlords — if they’re lucky.
I guess the “good news“ is that Pinellas County doesn’t have the crazy additional residency restrictions that some other jurisdictions have chosen to adopt. The bad news is that doesn’t matter. I’m sure that a lot of these nursing facilities will just flat out refused to take you regardless of the law. I i’m concerned about this and I keep telling my family, but they ignore me and want to keep me close by so that I “don’t end up under a bridge somewhere.“ I turn 61 next week and I’ve had two mini strokes and I have type two diabetes, so this is a serious concern for me.
Unfortunately it seems like it is just a matter of time for all counties to pass ordinances to match the same residence restrictions as those counties next to them. So, while a county like Pinellas may be using the 1k foot rule, they are very likely to go to higher 2.5k rule that the state allows and other counties have in due time. Just look at the recent Martin County ordinance and the logic behind the change. Maybe, since some counties have their own “animal abuser” registries, they need to start looking at making those people abide by a residence restriction too. Maybe those individuals shouldn’t be allowed to live within 1k or 2.5k feet from groomers, shelters, veterinarian offices, etc. since their target victims congregate in those places and those people might be tempted to look at the dogs and cats. And they definitely shouldn’t be visiting friends or family who have pets. It’s the same logic just a different victim. I don’t think RRs help in any of these matters; they are just a set up to cause a tangled and wide web to get people tripped up when they try to get some life back.
Why stop there? Doesn’t the same logic require a DUI registry, with those on it restricted from car dealers, parking lots, houses with driveways, gas stations, highways and freeways, and so forth? Not to mention bars, liquor stores, or buildings with refrigerators.
You get the idea. Sorry folks but one crime should be no different than any other. I think the sex offense hysteria stems from puritanical ideology. Like they say let’s keep the lists growing so we make sure that everyone is on a name and shame list and keep those people away from their “temptations” too.
I wonder if this applies to VA assisted living facilities also.
Kavorkian
While I understand this article was regarding long term care for people who were found/pled guilty of a sex offense, let’s not forget many other people previously convicted of other types of crimes are residing in long term care facilities (murder, assault, battery, domestic violence, DUI, drugs, robbery, etc). The only difference with a sex offense is the registry and emotions. As the article states, this is a medical and humanitarian crisis for the sick and aging population. If a long term care facility can deny a person care based on a certain type of criminal record what stops a hospital, urgent care, or any other medical facility from doing the same thing. And what is keeping them from doing this to any person with any other criminal record. The truth is, if these people are eligible for long term care and cannot get it in a facility then Medicare, Medicaid and insurance needs to cough up the appropriate home care. And maybe the courts need to add a line to all court fines/fees for SO Long Term Care Fund along with adding it to local taxes and fees. Maybe it’s time people pay for the ostracism they want to impose on others.
Yeah, What he said.
Spot on !! Riff
I’d encourage any member with this sort of insight to volunteer for FAC’s Elder Committee.
But Kempke, the trauma center director, warned against assuming that advanced age makes someone low risk.
“A lot of it has to do with what kind of treatment they’ve had,” she said
Who gave this snatch her information? These people come up with these stupid assumptions and quote it like it’s a verified fact.. I’m getting really sick of this shit and feel like the only change will come through forced means..
Sometimes’ Fairy Tales’ become brainwashed truths–in their minds it seems to be!