In many ways, many long-term care residents are a lot like children. Small kids chase balls into busy streets because their brains cannot appreciate the danger in that situation. Similarly, many older adults, especially those with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, will wander aimlessly without knowing or understanding anything about where they are going or the environment that they are in. In fact, more than 34,000 nursing home patients a year suffer from elopement (wandering).
Elopement sets the stage for serious injury that is easily preventable, which means that a nursing home negligence lawsuit may be the best way to address the issue.
Resident on Resident Abuse
To increase profits, many nursing home administrators take on as many patients as possible. As a result, privacy is at a premium in many facilities. In common areas, disagreements often flare up over seemingly trivial issues like a preferred chair next to the window or a place on the sofa near the TV set. In private rooms, some residents get angry when other residents invade what little privacy they have, even if the intrusion is unintentional, by wandering into their rooms or, even worse, by touching personal items.
The lack of privacy, and prevalence of elopement, sets the stage for resident abuse. This fast-growing problem affects one in five nursing home residents each year.
Falls
Overcrowding means that renovation or construction projects are almost constantly underway in many facilities. Alert adults turn around when they see “construction” signs or take extra precautions if there are obstructions on the floor. But older adults, especially those who suffer from dementia, do not have that same awareness.
One in three adults over 65 fall at least once a year. These falls are usually very serious, as the fatality rate has doubled over the past decade.
To prevent elopement and lower the risk of abuse and falls, nursing homes should:
- Train staff to deal with wandering patients, perhaps by redirecting them,
- Secure exits and other doors,
- Have sufficient staff on hand to count residents regularly, and
- Use technology assistance, like GPS tags and door alarms.
40 percent of elopement incidents occur within a resident’s first few months at a new facility, so staff should be especially vigilant during these times.
