Wandering/Elopement

Ohio Nursing Home Attorneys

When her father, suffering from dementia, began wandering off, she knew he would be safer in a nursing home. Imagine her anger and dismay when he was found dazed and disoriented in the middle of a highway.

Preventing wandering (elopement) – safety with dignity

If appropriate preventive measures are not taken by the staff, nursing home, assisted living, senior-care facility, or home-care patients disoriented by dementia or Alzheimer's may wander off the grounds of the facility (elope) or wander freely through the facility into areas where they are not safe. The nursing home administration is responsible for preventing wandering and related injury risks, and must adhere to the following process:

• Identify the risk of wandering
• Develop an appropriate treatment plan to prevent elopement
• Supervise staff in implementation of that care plan

Appropriate measures may include security locks on doors and elevators, technology to monitor the resident's movements, and proper building design. Unfortunately, some nursing homes resort to inappropriate measures, including over sedation, unnecessary use of physical restraints, and intimidation or abuse to prevent elopement.

If you know of an elderly resident who was seriously injured as a result of wandering from a nursing home, and feel the institution failed to take the proper measures to prevent the elopement, a lawyer from our Cleveland, Ohio, firm, the Associated Offices of Dennis Seaman & Associates Co., L.P.A., and Garson & Associates Co., L.P.A., (Seaman & Garson), will be happy to provide a free consultation and case evaluation. Please contact our office to arrange a conference with a nursing home attorney. Our Northeast Ohio firm represents clients throughout Ohio including the communities of Cleveland, Lorain, Akron, Canton, Painesville, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, Youngstown, and Parma. We are also long-standing members of the American Association for Justice, and as such, we are connected to a nationwide network of attorneys.

Whether you are concerned about preventing a future injury from wandering, or you feel the resident may have a claim against the nursing home for an injury, it is important to take the proper measures quickly. Lawyers at Seaman and Garson have earned a reputation in the national legal community for setting standards in Ohio personal injury law for seniors. Call: (216) 830-1000 or e-mail our office to arrange a free consultation about wandering, patients' rights, and a nursing home injury claim.