Elder elopement refers to residents wandering away from a nursing facility without supervision, often due to cognitive impairments like dementia. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services classify elopement as a “serious safety event,” given the high risk of injury, exposure, or death when elders leave secure areas unsupervised.
Facilities must implement individualized care plans, secure door alarms, and adequate staffing to monitor residents at risk. When protocols fail, doors left unlocked, alarms ignored, or insufficient rounds, residents can slip out unnoticed. The consequences of elopement are severe: hypothermia, traffic accidents, or getting lost in unfamiliar surroundings. Families live in constant fear, knowing a single lapse in supervision could cost a life.
Brauns Law investigates each elopement incident, identifies breaches in nursing home policy, and fights for elder victims who may have been harmed while unsupervised in Georgia.
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