Wandering and elopement refer to the time when elderly patients leave the nursing home unaccompanied. This is a problem because these people can easily become disoriented and fail to make it back to their rooms. They may even go outside without knowing they are leaving the facility. If this occurs, these patients may get lost and not remember how they can get back to the nursing home.
The Risk of Falls
The risk of falls is the biggest risk that elderly people face. That is because they are at risk of breaking a hip or experiencing a serious head injury. They may be unfamiliar with the terrain that they are traveling upon, and they can easily fall because of this. They are more likely to fall because they are more frail than younger adults, and their balance is not always steady. They may also have osteoporosis, and this causes their bones to break more easily.
Missed Medication
People in nursing homes receive treatment on a regular basis. When they leave the nursing home without informing anyone, they miss the medical treatments they need during the day. Some people must have insulin injections at specific times of the day, and others need to have their blood pressure medications. If they fail to receive these drugs, they could experience serious consequences. For example, if a patient is being treated for an infection but they leave the nursing home before receiving their antibiotic injection, the infection could be life-threatening.
The Weather
Elderly adults may not have intended to leave the nursing home, so they may not be appropriately dressed for the weather. If it is particularly hot, they can be at risk of becoming dehydrated or suffering from heat stroke. During the colder months, they are susceptible to hypothermia. They can also get lost in traffic without the ability to move towards safety.
Distress
When people leave their facilities without supervision, they often become very distressed after they discover that they are lost. If they come across people when they are on the outside, these people may have nefarious intentions toward them. Elderly patients have been scammed or exploited while they have been wandering. After their family members learn that their relatives have gone missing, they also become distressed, and they remain in a fearful state until their loved ones are found.
Why Does This Occur?
Wandering and elopement often occur because the patients are cognitively impaired. For example, patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease are known for experiencing confusion and becoming disoriented. When this occurs, they forget where they are, and they believe that they need to find their family members.
The Lack of Supervision
Some nursing homes do not have adequate staffing to ensure that patients do not leave the nursing home unattended. Sometimes, they are not monitoring their populations as well as they should. Furthermore, some nursing homes lack adequate activities for their patients, so they decide to roam rather than sit in their rooms all day.
Nursing Home Regulations
In order to receive Medicare, a nursing home is required to provide enough trained staff for the assistance and supervision of the residents. In addition to that, nursing homes must keep detailed records on their patients. One thing that these records must list is the likelihood that a patient will engage in wandering and elopement.
Nursing Home Liability
The caregivers and administrators at nursing homes have the responsibility to ensure the safety of their patients. It does not matter if the patient does not have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. These patients must be safe in the nursing home. If the administration failed to secure the nursing home so that patients cannot leave the premises, they can be held liable for any injuries these patients suffer while outside of the facility. If your loved one left a nursing home unaccompanied, contact a compassionate nursing home abuse lawyer today.
