Older adults with care needs and cognitive deficits often move into nursing homes. Their families cannot provide them with the consistent care they need for their health and safety. People rely on nursing homes to administer medication, meet an individual’s daily needs and keep them safe.
Unfortunately, nursing homes do not always succeed at providing an appropriate level of care for vulnerable older adults. Elopement or wandering from a care facility can occur when residents don’t receive the support they require based on their cognitive status. In some cases, elopement from a nursing home can have tragic consequences.
Why is elopement sometimes deadly?
Older adults dealing with functional limitations and cognitive decline may not be able to consistently meet their own needs. Those who leave a nursing home without the support of staff members may not have life-preserving medication with them.
They may wander into dangerous locations, such as into traffic. They could also end up stranded outside during inclement weather or overnight, putting them at risk of exposure. Many things can go wrong when older adults leave a facility without staff members knowing.
Nursing homes can prevent elopement
Nursing home workers should be able to identify those dealing with memory issues and cognitive decline. Regular testing and appropriate record keeping can help ensure that the facility provides appropriate support for those who cannot care for themselves. The failure to regularly evaluate people or to move them into a locked memory ward could result in a preventable elopement.
Families left shocked and grieving after a nursing home elopement may have grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit. Establishing that nursing home negligence caused a premature death could lead to justice for those left behind.