Legal evaluation of elopement or wandering claims

Many residents in nursing homes are confused and disoriented and must be protected from wandering out of the home and becoming lost or injured. When evaluating these claims, our firm will check to see if the following steps were taken:

The nursing home should assess each resident when they are admitted for the following:

• Risks for wandering such as dementia, Alzheimer disease, and medications that cause confusion
• Prior history of wandering, and forgetting whereabouts
• If the resident was in a prior nursing home or hospital setting, were restraints used'

If the resident is at risk for wandering, the nursing home should take the following precautionary measures:

• Preventive devices such as alarms or electronic devices on the patient, alarms on the bed, or alarms on the exit doors
• Monitor the exit doors of the home
• Move an "at-risk" resident to a room that allows for closer observation by the nurses

Nursing homes are required to provide a "safe and secure environment" with "adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent accidents".

Elopement Resources:

• Overview
• Prevention tips

Other Nursing Home Abuses:

• Bedsores
• Dehydration
• Elopement
• Falls
• Malnutrition
• Mental Abuse
• Physical Abuse
• Restraints
• Sexual Abuse
• Wandering
• Wrongful Death

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