As the population of the nation continues to age, more people spend their time and effort thinking about how to improve the nursing homes that many will eventually end up in.
One big step recently under discussion would potentially help protect nursing home residents from registered sex offenders in Pennsylvania.
Megan’s Law for nursing homes
The PA House Democrats discuss steps currently happening to help protect nursing home residents. They want to do so through the reduction of potential sexual assault cases by establishing care and reporting requirements any time a registered sex offender ends up admitted into the care facility.
This bill would essentially act as Megan’s Law but for nursing homes, providing protections that many people argue should happen immediately.
Currently, nursing homes do not require the disclosure of a registered sex offender’s status to either the other residents in the home or to the staff. This has already led to numerous sexual assaults and violent attacks on other residents and nursing home staff. Experts expect this number to grow as the aging population admits more and more sexual offenders into medical care.
What does the bill do?
This bill would require homes not only to check the sex offender registry before admitting a resident but also to have a care plan in place to protect staff and residents in the event that a sex offender gets admitted. Staff and other residents in close proximity then need to receive notification of this plan.
Other states already have similar bills in place, and proponents of this one push it forward with the idea that protections for vulnerable residents and their carers are far overdue.