Nursing Homes That Accept Registered Person

Do nursing homes take sex offenders? There are nursing homes that accept sex offenders but they aren’t easy to find.

• It’s common for nursing homes to run background checks before accepting residents.
• In some states checking the sex offenders registry is a legal requirement for nursing homes.

Why It’s Hard To Find Nursing Homes That Accept Sex Offenders in 2024

Whether you’re trying to find a nursing home for yourself, or you’re a relative looking for long-term care facilities that accept sex offenders, you’re likely to face significant obstacles.

Finding nursing homes that accept felons and sex offenders is hard because most nursing homes aren’t set up to manage the challenges and liabilities that come with housing and caring for registered persons.

1. Nursing home managers must ensure the safety of their vulnerable residents and their staff.
2. Often located close to schools, daycares, churches, and parks, many care homes are off-limits to sex offenders with proximity restrictions.
3. Some states require nursing homes to notify residents and staff if a sex offender is going to be admitted which leads to pushback from their community and damage to their reputation.
4. Nursing homes can be held liable for millions of dollars in damages if a sex offender attacks another resident.
5. Long-term care facilities that accept sex offenders often have waiting lists.

The reality is many nursing homes don’t accept SO. Those that do, may only accept registered sex offenders with a low risk of re-offending.

How to Find Nursing homes for known Offenders

Here are some effective methods you can use to locate nursing homes that accept SO.

Check Your State Law

Find out if nursing homes in your state are required by law to run background checks on residents. If they are, you’ll need to be upfront about your sex offender status when you contact them.

Where there’s no state-mandated background check requirement, you can simply ask about resident acceptance criteria to gauge whether you should apply to become a resident.

Call and Ask Directly

Because nursing homes have different policies depending on state laws and their internal guidelines, the most straightforward approach is to contact long-term care facilities directly and ask about their admittance policies for sex offenders.

Start by contacting nursing homes in your city, then expand your search to nursing homes in your state and other parts of the country.

1. Go to https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/?providerType=NursingHome
2. Enter your first location
3. Call each nursing home on the list and ask about their admissions policy
4. Repeat with other locations if necessary

Search the Sex Offender Registry

Another way to locate long-term care facilities that accept sex offenders is to search state sex offender registries. Offender’s addresses are usually publicly available.

By searching the registry, you could find nursing homes or care facilities are already home to registered sex offenders.

To find state registries, use the links at the National Sex Offender Public Website: https://www.nsopw.gov/all-registries.

Contact Social Services

Your local social services department will be able to tell you which nursing homes will consider admitting sex offenders. They can also call other facilities in your state and further afield to try to locate a nursing home that will take you.

Adult Protective Services may be another agency you can turn to. APS helps senior citizens and disabled adults.

If you’re in either category, call your local agency and ask for help finding a nursing home that accepts sex offenders.

Sex offenders currently in the hospital should speak to the social worker on staff, making it clear that family members can’t/won’t provide care or housing. Hospitals must arrange a safe discharge for patients with ongoing care needs.

State Long-Term Care Ombudsman

Each state has a long-term care ombudsman. These services advocate for people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Staff will give you advice about finding a nursing home and help you understand your rights.

What If You Can’t Find A Care Home?

If you can’t find a care home in your city or state, you’ll have to search for nursing homes in other areas. This might mean moving away from family and friends to get the care you need in another state.

You could also investigate board and care homes closer to home. Board and care homes (also called residential homes or group homes) are an alternative that could work if you don’t need round-the-clock skilled nursing care.

While similar to assisted living facilities, board and care homes house fewer residents. You may be able to find single-sex group homes that will accept SO or group homes that cater exclusively to registered persons.

Board and care facilities don’t offer nursing services, but they provide care for residents 24/7. Services provided include assistance with washing, dressing, visiting the bathroom, eating meals, and medication management.

Residents can also arrange to receive regular visits from an in-home nursing provider.

Next Steps

• Contact social services for help finding a nursing home that will take you.
• Get advice from your long-term care ombudsman.
• Start working through the list of nursing homes in your area.
• Find out if a board and care home is an option for you.

Read Also: How to Find Housing as a Registered Person.