Injuries from Patient Wandering
Because many residents suffer from cognitive impairments, injuries from patient wandering are serious problems for nursing homes. “Wandering” is defined as straying into unsafe or unauthorized areas within the facility, while “elopement” is the term used when a resident who is unable to safely do so leaves the facility alone unsupervised or unnoticed. Statistics show that one of every five cognitively impaired nursing home residents were found to wander and more than 34,000 dementia patients stray from their homes or nursing homes every year.
Elopement can result in death in a number of ways. The individual may die of exposure from cold or dehydration from heat, lack of medication, falls, drowning in a nearby body of water or be struck by a car or even train. If a person who is incapable of protecting themselves wanders or elopes and is injured or killed, the facility may be liable.
Nursing home facilities are required to assess residents for wandering and elopement risks. If a nursing home resident is determined to be at risk for wandering and elopement, a care plan with preventative measures must be developed.
When the difficult decision to place a loved one in a nursing home has been reached, families spend much time finding a facility they can trust to keep their loved one safe. Sadly, many families find out too late that their trust has been misplaced. The nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Clark, Perdue & List understand the sense of betrayal and devastation families feel when a loved one dies as a result of nursing home neglect.
More About Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Contact A Lawyer
If your loved one has been injured or died as a result of wandering or elopement from a nursing home, contact the experienced Ohio nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Clark, Perdue & List.
RECENT BLOG POSTS FOR MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
Nursing Home Abuse Hidden by COVID-19 Restrictions
Due to the spread of the coronavirus, nursing homes around the country have limited family’s access to their loved ones. Another case of nursing home abuse has been uncovered and unfortunately discovered too late due to the family being unable to see their loved one...
Nursing Homes Evicting Poor Residents to Enhance Profits
Across the country there is a rising problem of nursing homes looking to get rid of less profitable patients. These unprofitable patients are primarily on Medicaid and require extra care. Nursing homes are using minor outbursts, a typical symptom of dementia and...
Nursing Home Evictions Fueled By Coronavirus Medical Reimbursements
Nursing home evictions can be disruptive and dangerous during normal times, but in these new times of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, evictions are becoming a bigger problem. Hospitals have been urging nursing homes to take in COVID-19 patients to alleviate some of...
Coronavirus Rules May Hide Nursing Home Abuse
Since the coronavirus pandemic began in earlier 2020, Ohio and other states have banned visitors at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Preventing the virus spreading to high-risk populations is a good reason to stop visitations, but the visitor...
Nursing Home Cameras Catch Elder Abuse
A new law is being proposed in Ohio to prevent elder abuse by allowing the use of hidden cameras in nursing home rooms. This bill is being introduced after Steve Piskor used a camera in his mother’s nursing home room to watch the aides helping her. His abuse fears...
Nursing Home Complaints Warning Icon Added to Database
According to the Wall Street Journal, the rate of nursing home complaints received by states has climbed in recent years, reaching 71,602, or 52.3 per 1,000 residents in 2018, from 32.7 per 1,000 residents in 2011. Nearly half of the complaints handled last year, or...