Wandering and Elopement
When we trust nursing home facilities with the care of our precious loved ones, we expect them to get round the clock care from qualified professionals who will keep them safe and supervised.
Sadly, sometimes nursing homes fall short when it comes to the care and supervision that is required of them. When nursing homes fail to properly supervise their residents, the consequences can be catastrophic. In some cases, it can lead to episodes of wandering or even leaving the home altogether, known as elopement by residents.
There are legal implications when a nursing home allows a resident to wander or leave the facility., It’s a form of neglect because the resident wasn’t being carefully looked after by staff, which has led to a potentially dangerous situation.
The injury attorneys at Phoenix Accident and Injury Law Firm near you have significant experience in helping clients who have been a nursing home neglect victim in the form of wandering and elopement. Our offices are conveniently located in nearby Chandler, Peoria, and North Phoenix, and we can meet in-person at our nearby offices, over the phone, or video call. You can contact us for a free consultation, or read on to find out more.
By the way, we will also help with other problems that have cost you sleep, like finding a nearby doctor who can help you or recommending you to temporary or long-term care options. You and your family’s’ safety and health are our top concern, and even the best legal team isn’t good enough if your quality of life isn’t sustainable while justice and compensation are on the way. The whole point of legal action is to regain quality of life, so we help you long-term as attorneys and short-term as your go-to people. Our familiarity with the local Phoenix courts makes us confident that we can help you get the best settlement possible.
To figure out how the nursing home you have chosen for your family is rated and to see if the home has any prior violations, check out our nursing home index. We’ve compiled all of the nursing homes in Arizona as well as their health code reports.
Additionally, take a look at our Nursing Home Glossary– an index of important words you need to know in a nursing home abuse case and their definitions.
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What are Wandering and Elopement?
Wandering refers to a situation in which a resident with cognitive impairments such as memory loss or Alzheimer’s leaves their room or other safe area of a nursing home and moves about the facility without supervision.
Wandering can lead to a fall or other type of injury and residents who are most at risk for wandering are those who suffer from dementia. By allowing someone with cognitive impairments to move freely without supervision, the facility is placing that individual in danger.
When an individual is wandering around the nursing home, they can enter unsafe areas of the facility such as other resident’s rooms, the kitchen, stairwells, and storage rooms.
The most common types of incidents that result from wandering are:
• Slips and falls
• Resident-on-resident violence
• Burns or cuts
• Missing scheduled medication
When someone wanders, they may leave the facility, which then becomes another type of wandering called elopement.
In this situation, the resident leaves the security of the nursing home and is exposed to the dangers outside. When a resident elopes from a nursing home, they can end up just about anywhere- from down the street, in the woods, or even in another town.
They immediately run the risk of walking into traffic, being hurt by a stranger, or getting lost or stranded in an area where it’s difficult to locate them. The added danger then becomes their exposure to the weather. They will likely not be adequately dressed, leading to dehydration and overheating, or even freezing to death.
What Are the Causes of Wandering and Elopement?
The people most at risk for wandering or eloping from a facility are those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other similar cognitive impairments. Residents with memory loss conditions are most vulnerable to wandering because they forget where they are or feel overwhelmed in their surroundings, which feel unfamiliar to them.
Other factors that can cause wandering or elopement include:
- Changes in medication or starting a new medication: Certain medications when taken alone or mixed with other medications may increase wandering behavior.
- Unmet physical needs: If a resident is hungry, thirsty, or needs to use the restroom, they may wander to meet those needs.
- Unmet social needs: If a resident is missing their family, or is feeling alone or isolated, they could resort to wandering to
engage with others. - Wanting to exercise: Some residents may feel cooped up, bored, or the desire to move around outside of their designated room.
- Agitation at staff or other residents: Residents can become agitated and may remove themselves from a situation to be
alone but if they’re unable to remember where they are supposed to be, they could become lost and begin wandering.
Due to the dangers of wandering and elopement, it’s vital that nursing home staff monitor for these types of triggers and supervise residents who are at risk for this type of behavior. Not supervising a resident properly, even if only for a few minutes, could have dire consequences.
How Can Wandering and Elopement be Prevented?
There are many steps nursing homes can take to prevent the likelihood of residents wandering and eloping. The first step is to do personal evaluations for each resident moving into the nursing facility. The home should then determine if the new resident is at-risk for wandering and prepare a personal plan that includes information about their mental health.
Research has shown that wandering can be addressed through personal care plans that respond to wandering behaviors by developing a relationship with the resident and anticipating their needs.
Another important step in preventing wandering and eloping is to educate staff. By making sure employees are properly trained and prepared to supervise and monitor residents, especially those at risk for such behaviors, the facility can lower the risk of wandering and reduce the chances of a resident being seriously injured.
Nursing home facilities should also take steps to secure and monitor entrances and exits as well as offer exercise groups, crafts, or recreational activities that engage the residents. By interacting with residents and keeping them busy, they will be less likely to wander.
What Happens if a Nursing Homes Fails to Supervise Your Loved One?
According to the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987, every resident in a nursing home is entitled to good, basic care. Since then, most states have passed legislation reinforcing and in some cases strengthening the standard of care required of nursing home facilities.
This care includes an individualized healthcare plan, attention, and supervision. Unfortunately, not all nursing homes meet the level of care required of them. When their failure to properly care for your loved one leads to injuries or death, they must be held responsible.
Get Help Now
Our team of abuse attorneys is dedicated to seeking damages on behalf of those family members who are being abused and help you find better accommodations for them in the nearby area. We’ve worked on a number of nursing home abuse cases previously in your area and take the time to understand the family’s concerns as well as the situation they believe their loved one is in.
At Phoenix Accident and Injury Law Firm near you, we have more than 15 years of experience helping clients obtain compensation for their and their loved one’s personal injuries, including those from wandering and elopement in the Phoenix area. When you’re ready to talk, please contact our office to arrange a free initial consultation by phone or at our Chandler office, conveniently located near you.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home neglect in the form of wandering and elopement, contact Phoenix Accident and Injury Law Firm in nearby Chandler, AZ to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney. We provide personal injury legal services to clients in your area including Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, and Peoria.
