An Ohio nursing home is under investigation after an 82-year-old resident was found outside on May 11. According to a police report, the resident was transported to the hospital and placed in the intensive care unit. She was found to have extremely high troponin levels, a measure of cardiac function, and was determined to be actively having a heart attack. The woman was reportedly left outside all night, according to hospital staff.
Law enforcement officials are investigating the incident as possible elder abuse/neglect and have also contacted Adult Protective Services.
In another recent case, in New York, a 70-year-old man, who has Parkinson’s disease and dementia, was missing from an assisted living facility for nearly 30 hours in cold, wet conditions before police found him lying in mud. According to the police, he was chilled, dehydrated, and covered in scratches and tick bites. He was taken to the hospital, where his children didn’t recognize him at first. His daughter said she thought they had found the wrong person.
The state health department and attorney general’s office are both investigating that incident. It is at least the second time in six years that a resident wandered away from the facility despite a security alarm system that’s meant to prevent elopement.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Facilities are responsible for identifying and assessing a resident’s risk for leaving the facility without notification to staff and developing interventions to address this risk. Facilities should have policies that clearly define the mechanisms and procedures for assessing or identifying, monitoring, and managing residents at risk for elopement. This can help to minimize the risk of a resident leaving a safe area without the facility’s awareness and/or appropriate supervision. Early assessment is key. All residents should be assessed on admission and at least quarterly thereafter. An additional risk assessment should be performed after there is any change in a resident’s condition. The resident at risk should have interventions in his or her comprehensive plan of care to address the potential for elopement. Staff need to be able to show documentation that the policies were implemented. Furthermore, a facility’s disaster and emergency preparedness plan should include a plan to locate a missing resident.
Discussion Points
- Review policies and procedures regarding prevention of and response to resident elopement to determine if any changes should be implemented. Also review policies and procedures for ensuring provision of adequate monitoring, sufficient staffing, and that there is adequate security to prevent residents from wandering away from the facility.
- Train staff regarding the importance of providing adequate monitoring and care for the residents. Conduct elopement drills to ensure staff on all shifts know how to competently respond.
- Periodically audit to ensure that residents’ elopement risk assessments are completed at the time of admission and updated periodically and as needed. Also audit to ensure that staff are performing assigned checks of residents.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, LLC for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
