Families sometimes have to make the difficult decision to move aging loved ones into nursing homes. The higher the support needs of an older adult are, the less likely their immediate family members are to safely fulfill those needs. Someone experiencing cognitive decline or dementia can become combative. They can also engage in behaviors that put them at immediate risk of injury.
For example, they might potentially wander away from the space where they live. Such incidents can result in a variety of tragic outcomes. Older adults can end up sickened or worse due to environmental exposure. They can wander into traffic and get struck by a vehicle. They may suffer harmful medical consequences because they don’t receive the care that they require, like diabetes medication.
Families worried about wandering or elopement might turn to a nursing home to ensure their loved ones stay in a safe location. Unfortunately, residents sometimes wander off from nursing homes.
Nursing homes can prevent most elopement cases
There are several factors that contribute to wandering or elopement among nursing home residents. A failure to identify someone’s risk for wandering is a leading cause of preventable elopements. Nursing homes generally need to evaluate residents when they move in and re-evaluate them regularly or after a major change in their condition.
By proactively identifying those at risk of wandering off, nursing homes can provide them with the right support. The nursing home also needs to have proper security measures in place for residents who might wander.
Moving a patient with dementia to a memory ward with secure doors is one option or preventing their sudden exit from the facility. So it is the completion of regular checks throughout the day and night to ensure residents are where they should be.
Understaffing often forces the workers that nursing homes to limit the services they provide. Improper training about how to evaluate residents or ensure security in locked memory wards could also contribute to wandering or elopement incidents.
Families shocked by a loved one’s recent escape from a nursing home facility may have grounds to take legal action. Holding nursing homes accountable for inadequate care can potentially compensate those harmed by unsafe or understaffed facilities.
