Hawaii has close to 500 residential care homes for seniors and the disabled, and by most accounts, it’s not enough. As the state’s elderly population increases, more such homes — which are less expensive than institutional care — will be needed.

So it was cause for concern when a state audit in November warned that many of these homes had not been properly inspected to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their residents.

The state Auditor, reviewing a sample of 214 homes, faulted the state Department of Health’s Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA) for, among other things, allowing some care homes to operate without a license, get a license despite deficiencies, or get a license before an inspection was completed.

To its credit, the DOH said it has been implementing improvements to its licensure and inspection procedures, with the help of additional staff. DOH also pointed out that OHCA’s goal is not to be punitive. Its inspections are “consultative in nature, designed to help care home operators address deficiencies and point out violations.”

The distinction is significant. A properly run home provides a valuable service; a poorly run one is a menace. It’s in the public interest that the good ones be kept open and the bad ones kept closed. Sometimes the governing agency must be flexible — but not so much that facilities can hide shoddy care from inspectors and family members.

Consumers must be able to trust that a licensed care home will provide quality care for themselves and their loved ones. State inspectors must be vigilant; so, too, should the families of care home residents.