Ohio Nursing Home Wandering Off Lawyer
When seniors can move but struggle to recall dangers due to fading cognitive abilities, they risk wandering off – nursing homes need to keep these residents safe from wandering off or “elopement” to ensure their safety.
We are lawyers who are ready to take your call if your loved one got injured or died from wandering off/elopement caused by nursing home neglect or negligence. Our experienced lawyers know the ins and outs of the federal and Ohio regulations and laws for nursing homes.
We are here to fight for you, focus on the most extreme cases, and approach each case as if it will go to trial.
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Our fulfillment as attorneys comes not only from the successful outcomes we secure for our clients but also from knowing that we are part of a larger movement toward accountability and improved care in nursing homes.
How do You Prove a Wandering Injury or Death Claim?
By investigating the nursing home’s records, including assessments, implemented care plans, risk of elopement, and any prior incidences of wandering off or elopement, along with state inspection records, we can sift through the evidence and uncover the truth.
We utilize experts, including doctors and nurses, to reveal systemic failures and evaluate potential claims before filing lawsuits to determine whether the assessments and interventions were adequate.
A resident can elope without the nursing home being to blame. Before taking that next step, we will find out and tell you, candidly, whether we believe you have a case.
How do You Prove a Wandering Injury or Death Claim?
Dangers of Wandering Off in Nursing Home Residents
Residents who experience the following can be at significant risk for elopement:
- Agitation, anxiety, boredom, or stress
- Disorientation to surroundings
- Cognitive issues affecting judgment, such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease
Some warning signs for elopement may be the resident’s past behavior, such as previous instances of wandering off, and any recent cognitive changes or problems – having recently moved into a care facility can all cause disorientation.
Residents may also get restless if they are hungry, thirsty, or have to use the restroom, but then they get lost or confused and wander. The nursing home must implement proper measures to prevent future incidents and ensure resident safety.
Guidance Every Step of the Way
With a personalized approach to each case, our team offers guidance and support beyond legal advice.
Investigation
Analysis to understand the extent and cause of injuries
Honesty
Open dialogue to address your fears and concerns
Advocacy
Improving safety standards across all of Ohio
Frequently Asked Questions
The North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) defines wandering as “meandering, aimless, or repetitive locomotion that exposes the individual to harm; frequently incongruent with boundaries, limits, or obstacles.”
To prevent residents from wandering or elopement in nursing homes, the facility and staff should adhere to Ohio law, as well as Ohio and federal regulations. These legal frameworks require nursing home facilities to provide adequate, regular assessments of mental ability, elopement risk, and safety for their residents.
Ensuring Resident Safety in Nursing Homes also includes not using any use restraints on residents simply to make managing the residents easier.
Other ways nursing homes should do to prevent wandering off injuries:
- For high-risk residents, it’s recommended to wear a bracelet on the wrist or ankle and to place photos of these residents at all exits and doorways to identify their risk of falling.
- Residents can be provided with personal alarms, and doors at the facility should have alarms to notify staff if a patient attempts to leave the facility through a side door or emergency exit.
- Use tools to divert agitated or wandering residents like:
- Familiar objects
- Hobbies
- Pet therapy
- Reading/music/movies
- Family, volunteer, group
- Change of staff
- Rocking
- Social interaction
- Walks/regular exercise
- Orientation/reorientation to unit
- Purposeful focused activities
- Interventions can also include implementing monitoring measures such as one-on-one monitoring, medication review (to reduce medication-induced confusion or anxiety), providing escorts and sitters, and conducting regular location checks.
- Nursing home facilities, including dementia units, can implement various design strategies to mitigate the risk of elopement, such as unit-specific color schemes, easily understood location maps, circular unit designs, clearly marked signs and resident rooms, orientation boards, provision of quiet rooms, and camouflaged doors.
- Staff should be trained and required to regularly monitor at-risk residents to prevent them from wandering from the facility.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, any person with dementia is at risk of wandering or getting lost regardless if it’s in the early, mid, or late stage of the disease.
When a nursing home resident wanders around without the facility and staff’s knowledge, the resident is at greater risk of possible injuries.
The facility and staff must always be ready for any wandering incidences by conducting a resident’s assessment at admission and periodically thereafter.
There are tools that can be used to properly assess the risk of a resident from wandering off. For example, nurses and care providers can utilize assessment exercises like the one below. This tool allows for the analysis of the resident’s mental state, history, and behaviors.
If you would like to discuss your loved one’s situation, injuries, or death at a nursing home, call Nursing Home Injury Lawyers at 866-642-2873. If you would like more information about helping a loved one at risk of wandering off stay safe, see the VA National Center for Patient Safety Toolkit for Patients at Risk of Wandering.
