Can Background Checks of Long Term Care Residents Improve Safety?

The recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “State policies for the residency of offenders in long term care facilities: Balancing right to care with safety,” outlines an important area of concern for practitioners.¹ Until recently, the complexities of criminal offenders requiring long term care have been largely unexplored. The thought of a vulnerable loved one living in close proximity to a criminal offender is a frightening idea for families, and the public will increasingly look to the long term care medicine community to ensure the protection of residents. To further facilitate the establishment of best practices surrounding this issue, the American Medical Directors Association recently passed a resolution to explore how nursing homes can best address the anticipated future increase in residents with criminal/correctional histories.²