Some nursing home residents are prone to wander out of their room and the overall facility. The dangers presented to these vulnerable individuals require a nursing home to take proactive steps and prevent elopement. Nursing homes that fail to implement processes to stop a patient leaving the building put their residents at risk of serious injury or death.
Wandering and elopement is a serious issue. Residents in an environment intended to be controlled and safe are placed in uncontrolled and dangerous situations. At Furr & Henshaw, our trial lawyers investigate claims of nursing home negligence and identify the level of negligence that led to the resident leaving the building. They combine experience and dedication with compassion, skill and resources.
Myrtle Beach Elopement Attorneys Getting to the Facts of Nursing Home Negligence Claims
From the moment the resident is admitted, the chance of wandering (moving about the nursing home) or elopement (leaving the nursing home facility) must be assessed within the nursing home's plan of care. A higher level of oversight is needed when a cognitively impaired resident suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia is prone to moving around or outside a nursing home without restrictions. Tragedy could strike when residents who cannot protect themselves lack attentive staff to stop them.
The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 holds nursing homes responsible for negligence when they fail to supervise residents and prevent them from leaving their rooms or the building. Negligence plays a role when a facility fails to hire adequate staff or properly train employees to properly supervise residents. A lack of alarms and safety devices that can prevent wandering can result in a nursing home negligence claim involving serious injury or death.
Contact Us Today to Schedule a Free Consultation
If you have been seriously injured or someone close to you has died due to nursing home negligence, contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced South Carolina nursing home elopement attorney. You will not pay any attorneys fees unless our firm helps you recover compensation.
