Nursing home elopement occurs when an elderly resident, often with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, leaves the facility without staff knowledge or authorization. An elderly resident who wanders or elopes could face harm from a traffic accident, hypothermia, a medication crisis, or injuries caused by other hazards.

Wandering or elopement in nursing homes can and should be prevented. If a loved one was injured or killed because of wandering or elopement, the nursing home may be responsible. But holding the facility accountable for the harm it allowed to happen to your loved one can feel like an uphill battle, and you need help.

The experienced nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Robenalt Law can analyze your situation, identify who was at fault for the harm to your loved one, and fight to hold them accountable for the harm they caused.

What Is Nursing Home Wandering and Elopement?

In the nursing home context, “wandering” refers to a person with cognitive impairments who moves into unsafe areas of the facility or moves about the facility without staff knowledge. “Elopement” occurs when a confused nursing home resident leaves the facility without staff knowledge or awareness.

Why Is Nursing Home Wandering or Elopement Dangerous?

Nursing home residents are vulnerable individuals who may lack the ability to understand and appreciate potentially hazardous conditions in their environment. Someone with an altered mental status who wanders or leaves a nursing home without staff knowledge or supervision is exposed to numerous environmental hazards, including:

• Falling and being seriously injured
• Being hurt in a traffic accident
• Exposure to extreme weather conditions (heat, cold, rain, or snow) can cause hypothermia, heatstroke, exhaustion, and dehydration
• Emergencies due to missed medications
• Inability to safely return to the facility
• Risk of abuse or exploitation

Why Does Nursing Home Wandering and Elopement Occur?

Nursing home residents often wander when they are new to a facility. They may have a difficult time adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings, changes in medication, or want to go home to feed a pet or find relatives. They may also experience unmet physical needs, such as needing to go to the bathroom and not knowing where it is or how to get there. Because wandering is not unforeseeable, nursing home staff have a duty to identify residents at risk for wandering and put appropriate precautions in place to prevent it.

Families place their loved ones in a nursing home because they cannot care for a relative who can no longer care for themselves. Families trust that nursing home staff will care for their loved one and keep them safe. The nursing staff violates this trust when they allow nursing home residents to wander into unsafe areas of the facility, and when a nursing home resident leaves the facility without staff knowledge or authorization.

How Do Nursing Homes Prevent Wandering and Elopement?

Nursing homes have a legal duty to assess residents to identify whether they are at risk of wandering or elopement. This assessment should begin when the new resident is admitted and continue according to the resident’s care plan.

The nursing home staff should be trained to recognize residents at risk of wandering or elopement. Once a resident has been identified as an elopement risk, the nursing home has a legal duty to prevent wandering or elopement from happening.

Safety measures nursing homes can use to prevent wandering or elopement include:

• Alert technologies like bracelets and door alarms to notify staff when a resident leaves a designated area.
• Entryways and memory units should be secured to help prevent unsupervised exits.
• Place security cameras in hallways, near doors, and in other areas where residents should not be without staff knowledge or supervision.
• Providing structured activities and social engagements that reduce anxiety and confusion and deter a resident from trying to leave the facility.
• Signs, color-coded hallways, and familiar decor can help orient nursing home residents and reduce confusion.
• Staff should be trained about best practices in preventing and managing wandering and elopement.
• The facility needs enough staff present at key times to prevent residents from wandering off.
• Periodic safety audits and reviews of security protocols can ensure that preventative measures are in place to prevent wandering and elopement.

Is the Nursing Home Liable?

In many cases, the nursing home is legally responsible for injuries that occur when a resident wanders into areas they are not supposed to be or in cases of elopement. The nursing home has a duty to identify residents who are at risk of wandering and elopement. Once those residents have been identified, the nursing home must put in place safety measures to prevent wandering and elopement.

Can a Nursing Home Negligence Attorney Help?

If a loved one wandered or escaped from a nursing home and was injured, the nursing home could be liable. The nursing home abuse and negligence attorneys at Robenalt Law can analyze your situation, explain your rights and options, and fight for the compensation your family deserves.

Contact Robenalt Law Today

Robenalt Law has offices in Cleveland and Columbus, and handles claims for nursing home abuse and neglect throughout Ohio and nationwide.

Call our Cleveland office at (216) 223-7535 or our Columbus office at (614) 695-3800 or contact us online to schedule a free, confidential, no-obligation appointment to discuss your situation and how we can help.