MADISON – A half-carat diamond ring was stolen off the finger of a 93-year-old woman recovering from a stroke in a nursing home, police said.

The gold ring is believed to have been cut from her left hand either Nov. 5 or 6, said Madison police Officer Keith Bigger. He said the ring was a gift from the woman’s husband about 40 years ago and was a family heirloom.

Bigger would not identify the victim or the nursing home, but said family members thought the ring had been cut off because the woman’s knuckles were swollen from arthritis, and the ring could not easily slip off her finger.

The facility has a large number of visitors and staff who come and go daily, Bigger said. The victim is unable to speak and hasn’t been able to help in the investigation.

Earlier this year, an 18-year-old Brewer woman and her 24-year-old boyfriend from Bangor were charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing expensive rings off the fingers of elderly patients at a Portland nursing home.

Police said the woman was an employee and stole the rings, and that her boyfriend then sold them.

Police and nursing home officials have discussed the possibility of setting up a registry of local personal care attendants after it was discovered a few years ago that people implicated in nursing home thefts had been convicted of similar crimes against the elderly.

The state maintains a registry for certified nursing assistants, who are required to undergo a background check before being listed on the register. But neither state nor local officials have a registry for personal care attendants.

Residents of nursing homes and assisted living centers are considered vulnerable crime victims.