Nursing Home Wandering and Elopement Lawsuits
If a nursing home's negligence has caused an injury for a loved one or family member, they may be entitled to compensation. >>OBTAIN A FREE CLAIM EVALUATION
Serious injuries can be suffered by nursing home residents who wander away from the facility on their own. Common injuries associated with wandering (also referred to as elopement) include fractures from falls or death from heat stroke or hypothermia.
Federal nursing home regulations require that every resident have an assessment done when they enter the facility and that the assessment be updated on a regular basis or with changes in their medical condition. This report must include a written plan of care which describes the capacity of the resident and an assessment of their ability to function independently. Based on this assessment, proper steps must be taken to supervise the resident and determine what level of unsupervised access they should have to the outside.
The nursing home neglect lawyers at Saiontz, Kirk & Miles, P.A. investigate and review potential lawsuits for serious injuries suffered as a result of improper supervision, monitoring and care. If your loved one has suffered a serious injury or death after they wandered away from the nursing home on their own, request a free claim evaluation.
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Many elderly nursing home residents are confused or suffer from some form of dementia. These individuals may be unable to protect themselves from harm or mentally unable to appreciate their safety needs. If they pose a high risk of wandering or attempting to leave the facility unsupervised, the nursing home has an obligation to have proper devices in place and sufficient staff to prevent wandering. Failure to provider proper care could result in confused residents being placed in a position where they are alone, lost and helpless.
In many cases simple steps can be taken to reduce the risk of wandering or elopement. Steps that could be taken include:
- having sufficient staff to monitor high risk residents
- moving high risk residents closer to the nurses station
- placing alarms or bells on doors
- locking the doors for sections of the nursing home where high risk wanders are housed
- adding guards or using security cameras
The nursing home staff also must be properly trained on how to use and monitor any devices that are in place and respond appropriately when a resident does attempt to leave.
>>INFORMATION: Nursing Home Understaffing Issues
NURSING HOME WANDERING INJURY LAWSUITS
If a friend or loved one has suffered an injury after wandering unsupervised from a nursing home and you believe that it could have been prevented, request a free consultation and legal claim evaluation to determine if they may have a claim. The nursing home neglect lawyers at Saiontz, Kirk & Miles, P.A. have experience reviewing complex injury claims and can evaluate the circumstances surrounding the injury to determine if your loved one and family may be entitled to compensation.
There are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is obtained. However, every claim has a deadline, so it is important that you review any potential claim with a qualified nursing home neglect lawyer as soon as possible.
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