One of the most significant safety risks in a care facility occurs when a resident wanders away from their secure unit and exits the building. In nursing homes, this is called elopement. It happens when a resident leaves the facility without supervision. While staff might call it wandering, a failure to prevent these exits can lead to serious harm or even wrongful death.
The scope of the problem
Dementia affects over 121,000 Indiana residents, and many live in specialized care units. These units are supposed to be safe, secure facilities designed to reduce wandering and unsupervised exits. Without proper supervision, these incidents frequently lead to dangerous outcomes, including:
- Exposure to extreme weather and hypothermia
- Dehydration or lack of medication
- Traffic accidents or falls in unfamiliar areas
As Indiana’s aging population grows, ensuring these facilities are secure is more critical than ever.
The legal duty of memory care facilities
Memory care units must provide a high standard of care because they serve vulnerable residents. State and federal regulations require these facilities to assess each resident’s risk of leaving and create a plan to prevent it. This can include maintaining functional alarm systems and keeping adequate staff levels to monitor exits.
Facilities must balance a resident’s rights with the need for safety. They are responsible for ensuring that freedom of movement does not become a life-threatening lack of supervision.
Red flags of inadequate security
Families should stay alert for signs that a facility is cutting corners on safety. Certain physical and operational lapses can indicate that a resident is at high risk for elopement. Families should watch for:
- Alarms that are muted, broken or ignored
- Visible gaps in perimeter fencing or unlocked gates
- Low staffing during late-night or early-morning shifts
If a facility has a history of residents getting lost, it may suggest a systemic failure in their safety protocols.
When a facility markets itself as a secure memory care unit, it takes on a legal and moral obligation. You deserve to know that your loved one is protected behind those doors. If a care provider falls short of its legal duties to your loved one, there may be legal avenues to hold them accountable for any damages suffered as a result of that negligence.
