Is long term pet painter turtle rehab to nature possible?

Question
When my husband was a little boy, he caught a baby painter turtle in a little pond near his parents' home. He has had her for 17 years. He has always hand-fed her, played with her, and we love her very much. We now have a toddler and a baby and our pediatrician says it may be dangerous to have the turtle with children under 5 years of age in the home. Because of the risk, we have spent much less time handling the turtle. On walks through our neighborhood, we see painter turtles basking on rocks by a pond and we were wondering if she would be happier out there since she is getting much less attention than she's used to. Is turtle rehabilitation into the wild possible after 17 years? Again, we do love her and would like to keep her, but we want to do what's best for the turtle.

Answer
Almost any "normally" wild animal is always happier in the wild with unlimited freedom.  She would love to be in the wild with friends.  She would have no problem surviving because even if she doesn't know how to hunt, her animal instinct will do the job along with learning from other turtles.  I took care of a baby snapper for a long time, at least five years, I have a crick on my property and the same turtle lays a nest there every year, so I caught a newborn.  I released him because he was getting big and I didn't have the shelter for him.  The really interesting thing is that he still lives in that crick that I caught him in maybe nine years ago.