Nursing homes provide shelter, hygiene services and nutrition for residents. Workers see to the daily needs of older adults. They also typically keep the residents inside the facility or accompany them on necessary excursions.
People who live in nursing homes typically need permission to leave, especially when they struggle with cognitive decline or major physical challenges. Unfortunately, sometimes nursing home residents manage to leave the facilities where they live without anyone noticing, also known as eloping.
When that happens, tragedy can ensue. Most of the time, nursing homes can prevent elopement incidents with appropriate care standards and resident evaluations.
Why are elopement incidents dangerous?
When vulnerable older adults leave a nursing home without assistance, they face many types of risk. They could experience medical decline because they do not have access to medication or critical treatment services, such as dialysis.
They could fall or wander into traffic, sustaining major injuries. They are also vulnerable due to environmental exposure. They could suffer dehydration and malnutrition or develop an illness.
How can nursing homes help?
Awareness of a resident’s challenges is the best way to protect against elopement. Residents with memory issues or dementia generally need to be in locked wards.
Workers should check on older adults regularly, even while they sleep at night. Facilities need to routinely reevaluate residents as their condition changes to ensure they receive the support they require.
A failure to take appropriate steps to meet the support needs of vulnerable adults may constitute nursing home negligence. Filing a lawsuit to recover increased care costs and medical expenses is an appropriate reaction to an injurious elopement that better care could have prevented.