Wandering & Elopement

But wandering and elopement are two potentially life-threatening results of inadequate nursing home intervention techniques.

Many elderly residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and group homes have serious medical conditions. Two of the most prevalent, and potentially dangerous, are Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Both severely impact the brain’s functioning and commonly cause significant memory loss, altered moods, disorientation, and confusion.

With proper supervision, patients in nursing homes, even those with serious medical conditions, should be safely guided through their daily activities and watched to prevent potentially dangerous situations.

The National Institute for Elopement Prevention and Resolution defines “elopement” as “when a patient or resident who is cognitively, physically, mentally, emotionally, and/or chemically impaired wanders away, walk away, runs away, escapes, or otherwise leaves a caregiving facility or environment unsupervised, unnoticed, and/or prior to their scheduled discharge.”

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities have many potential techniques for reducing the risks of wandering and elopement. These include:

• Bed and chair alarms for patients at risk of wandering and elopement
• Keeping doors and windows locked
• Properly staffing the facility to adequately supervise residents
• RFID (radio frequency identification) devices

It may be shocking that residents of elder care facilities, places where they are intended to be under constant supervision and care, leave without anyone noticing. But it’s surprisingly common. In fact, 10% of all litigation around elder abuse & neglect involves elopement.

If your loved one has been the victim of abuse or neglect in a nursing home or other elder care facility, contact PA Nursing Home Lawyers. Our experienced legal team is dedicated to representing the rights of the elderly. For a free consultation, call (215) 240-7771 or fill out our contact form.