Nowhere to Go, Part 3: When Care Cannot Wait
Nowhere to Go: When Care Cannot Wait
Part Three · From concern to action
For some, life on the registry starts in youth. But time does not stop. Children grow up, parents grow older, and families keep carrying the weight. Sooner or later, any of us may need help with daily care.
What happens when someone can no longer care for themselves? Who helps when a spouse gets sick, a parent needs daily care, or a family has nowhere safe to turn?
In this series, we have asked where older people on the registry can go and how these struggles affect the whole family. Now we need to ask another question: What are we going to do about it?
Our October 23 talk with Dr. Stephanie Jerstad helped get this work moving again. Thank you to everyone who took part and shared their concerns.
Even good insurance may not open the door
You may have worked for years and paid for good insurance. But what happens if a care center will not take you because of registry rules, a county ordinance or its own policy? Money and insurance cannot open every door.
We need to examine how restrictions, including those changed by SB 212, affect access to care. Which barriers come from the law, and which come from a facility’s own rules? The rules can depend on the person’s case and where the care center is located.
People’s needs change. Memory loss, problems with thinking and physical disabilities can change a person’s abilities and care needs. At the Oklahoma hearing, Dr. Stephanie Jerstad asked lawmakers to make room for a fair review of each person. That review should look at health needs and help keep everyone safe.
Age or disability alone does not tell the whole story. A proper assessment should consider present risk, needed care and safety for everyone.
A fair review of each person
Watch the full hearing
Concern needs a path forward
At Oklahoma’s October 6 hearing, defense attorney Jacqui Ford asked people to work together and look at the facts of each case. She spoke about caring for an aging parent and the need for a real way to seek help. She also called for the tools and support needed to make change work.
That leaves a clear question for Florida: What needs to change so families can find safe care before they reach a crisis?
Turning concern into action
Watch the full hearing
We need someone to help lead
We are looking for volunteers to help with this effort, including someone willing to lead the team.
We are looking for a volunteer to help lead an elderly care and legislative effort. This would also help people who cannot care for themselves because of illness or a disability that affects their body or mind.
The work would bring families, care providers, disability groups, people who help veterans and researchers together. We need to learn what keeps people out of care, which rules cause problems, and what changes we can ask lawmakers to make.
You would not have to carry this alone. We need people who can help organize, listen, gather facts and follow through. We also need families willing to share their stories, only with their permission and with care for their privacy.
A place to start
- Find out why care facilities turn people away.
- Look at funding, costs and rules that limit care.
- Bring real stories and research to lawmakers.
- Find a lawmaker or public champion willing to help.
- Build a clear plan and keep the public informed.
We are still building this effort. We need a leader and a team to help turn these goals into action.
Time will not slow down while we wait. We need to build a path to safe care now, before more families face a crisis. Safety matters. So do care, dignity and a fair look at each person’s needs.
Could you help lead or support this work?
Email [email protected] or write directly to [email protected]. Please mention the elderly care and legislative effort. WE ALSO need volunteers to help with work behind the scenes please email.
Thank you, Stephanie
Thank you, Dr. Stephanie Jerstad, for taking time to talk with FAC and for being willing to work with us toward our future goals. Your help means a lot to the people and families facing these worries.
Catch up on Parts One and Two
Read Part One: When Families Cannot Find Care · Watch Part One: Growing Old on the Sex Offender Registry: Where Can They Go?
Read Part Two: When the Whole Family Carries the Weight · Watch Part Two
Sources and review notes
- Oklahoma Senate: official hearing roster and materials, October 6, 2026.
- Full hearing and official captions. The hearing summary is a paraphrase of the caption record; final clip audio review is pending.
- Florida Senate summary of SB 212. Its restrictions do not apply identically to everyone on the registry; this post does not claim a blanket ban on care facilities.
- FAC’s October 23 discussion helped shape this call for volunteers. We are looking for people to help and someone willing to lead.
Oklahoma testimony did not itself change Florida law. These are advocacy questions, not individual legal advice.
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