Elder Abuse Lawyer Warns of Danger of Admitting Past Felons to Nursing Homes

Massachusetts Elder Abuse Lawyer Warns of Danger of Admitting Past Felons to Nursing Homes

Boston attorney Bernard J. Hamill of Hamill Law Group says full disclosure needed before placement of Elder Felons in Massachusetts Nursing Homes.

Quincy, MA (Law Firm Newswire) 

November 15, 2011 

Boston Massachusetts nursing home abuse attorney Bernard J. Hamill says families need know that there has been an increase in the admission of residents with past felony records into nursing homes. Residents should have the right to know when a potentially dangerous person in admitted in their midst. The potential for violence can be the result of psychiatric disorders or past criminal convictions. Both pose a risk to vulnerable nursing home elders.

Hamill, founder of the Hamill Law Group, says family members should advocate for their loved ones on a regular basis and part of that job is to check with admissions at the nursing facility where their relatives reside.

With violent attacks by felons living in some nursing homes, some facilities are scrambling to comply with disclosure laws required in some states to notify state public health officials when they admit offenders. The number of felons reported to be living in the facilities increased last month in some states. Past reported felonious acts have included rape, theft, assaults, illegal drug use and violence. Some former felons also have serious psychiatric conditions.

The surprising number of offenders in some nursing facilities stems from a former policy that closed state-run psychiatric hospitals while not providing suitable replacement housing for psychiatric patients. Offering no housing or out patient treatment to the discharged patients, many, including those with criminal records, went to nursing homes that were not equipped to treat them. One state has 196 sex offenders housed in local nursing homes.

Hamill warns consumers to inquire on a case by case basis for any nursing home you are considering placement of a loved one in. Questions you should ask the Administrator are: (1) is there a screening mechanism in place for felons? (2) What safety precautions are in place? (3) What disclosure provision is available to the other residents; (4) are the admissions of felons list updated for existing residents? State reporting and regulatory requirements for these type of admissions need to be checked.

SOURCE:       LawFirmNewswire
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