It can be very alarming to learn that your elderly loved one has eloped from their nursing home and is missing. It may still be alarming even if your loved one has already been found by the time you learn what happened. Often, when people are placed in nursing homes it is because their family is not able to provide the person with adequate supervision and care at home. This can make it especially frustrating when you learn that your loved one’s nursing home has also failed to provide them with the supervision and care they need to remain safe. Good, safe, nursing homes should have systems in place to prevent residents who are confused or disoriented to person, place, and time, from simply wandering away. Unfortunately, not all nursing homes are able to provide the level of supervision needed or implement the monitoring systems their residents need. Harm can come to an elderly person who is wandering alone very quickly and easily. If your loved one was hurt because they were allowed to wander from their nursing home, they may have a legal case against the nursing home. An attorney can help assess the situation to determine whether the nursing home was negligent in allowing your loved one to elope.
Common Causes of Wandering in Negligent Nursing Homes
There are a number of both high and low-tech solutions for elopement prevention available to nursing homes. When a nursing home lacks an organized system to manage the wandering risk inherent to aging-related mental health concerns, ambulatory residents may be in danger. Common causes of elopement in nursing homes include:
- Understaffing – A nursing home that does not have enough staff members is more likely to see a patient “slip through the cracks” and wander away unnoticed. There should be adequate staff present to notice and act if a disoriented patient is seen exiting the building alone.
- Poor risk assessment – A nursing home should be constantly assessing the health of its patients. Part of that assessment should include identifying residents who may be at greater risk for wandering and providing them with the supervision they need.
- Underlying abuse – While disoriented seniors may not need a reason to wander, elopement is more likely if the residents are being mistreated in general. Seniors who have faced abuse or neglect may attempt to flee from the facility out of fear.
- Lack of necessary monitoring equipment – A simple solution many care homes use today is to place a tracking device on a bracelet or necklace that can be worn comfortably by patients who are at risk for wandering. These devices can automatically alert staff when a patient wearing one has walked out of the building so that they can be immediately located and brought back to safety.
It can be difficult to tell why exactly a senior has eloped from their nursing home. An attorney can investigate to help identify an underlying cause and potentially recover compensation for your loved one.
Contact a Peoria Nursing Home Neglect Attorney
Nursing Home Injury Center is committed to protecting senior citizens who reside in nursing homes. Our caring Peoria nursing home neglect lawyers will strive to help your loved one recover the compensation they need after being allowed to wander. For a complimentary consultation, please contact us at 309-524-6900.
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