Is a nursing home liable for injury caused to a patient during wandering or elopement?
Yes. Wandering and elopement are serious risks to elderly patients in a nursing home setting. Patients that wander move about inside the facility freely, while elopement refers to patients that look for an exit, or leave the nursing home unsupervised. Nursing homes are responsible for developing a plan of care for each patient and for following that plan. Nursing home patients that exhibit these two behaviors must be closely monitored and managed in a facility. The dangers to which the patients can be exposed can result in serious injury or death. To protect the patients, nursing home facilities are required by law to offer adequate security. Facilities that care for patients with wandering and elopement issues must be diligent in ensuring that proper procedures for monitoring and for preventing the escape of the patients are in place. Proper supervision is one of the primary steps nursing homes can take to protect the residents. Checking on patients at given times throughout the day o
