Elderly adults in San Diego County nursing homes or specialized memory-care facilities often have been diagnosed with forms of cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. When a person has cognitive impairment, the facility must take steps to ensure that they receive a certain level of care related to their condition. In other words, skilled nursing facilities have a duty to provide the type of care that is necessary based on the resident’s needs, and for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of cognitive impairment, it may be necessary to take steps to prevent wandering. When a resident wanders and suffers an injury, the facility could be liable based on a theory of negligence. Our San Diego County nursing home negligence lawyers can tell you more.
What is Wandering?
What does the term “wandering” mean in relation to nursing home care and older adults in Southern California? According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), wandering is also known as elopement, and it refers to a situation “when someone leaves a safe area or responsible caregiver.” As the NCOA clarifies, when a nursing home resident wants, they “may not be aware of their safety, which puts them at risk of getting lost, falling, or other accidents with injuries.”
When Are Residents Likely to Wander?
When is a nursing home resident likely to wander? According to both the NCOA and the Alzheimer’s Association, wandering is most often linked to elderly adults with dementia or another type of cognitive impairment. Alzheimer’s disease is one cause of cognitive impairment, along with other forms of dementia caused by health issues that can include stroke. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that about 60 percent of older adults with dementia will “wander at least once.” The NCOA cites the following as common risk factors for wandering, which nursing home staff must be aware of and attendant to:
- Cognitive impairment;
- Restlessness;
- Agitation;
- Expressing a desire to leave; and
- Previous attempts to wander.
Common Injuries Due to Wandering
When wandering does occur, especially in nursing home residents with cognitive impairment, it can result in serious and life-threatening injuries. Common injuries and forms of harm include but are not limited to:
- Falls, which may result in head injuries, broken bones, sprains, strains, or contusions;
- Drownings;
- Dehydration;
- Weather exposure; and
- Injuries in collisions with automobiles.
Those forms of harm come from the National Council on Aging, which emphasizes that even minor injuries can have lasting consequences on the physical and emotional well-being of the resident.
Contact a San Diego County Nursing Home Negligence Lawyer
If you have an elderly loved one at a nursing home who sustained injuries after wandering from the facility, do not hesitate to get in touch with one of the experienced San Diego County nursing home negligence attorneys at our firm to discuss the possibility of a lawsuit. Even though wandering might be known to happen among elderly adults with various forms of cognitive impairment, this does not mean that a skilled nursing facility does not need to take steps to prevent it. Indeed, nursing homes must actively attend to residents with specific healthcare needs based on those needs, including residents with dementia who could get hurt wandering from the facility. Contact the Walton Law Firm today to discuss your concerns and to learn more about filing a negligence claim against a Southern California nursing home.
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What is Nursing Home Negligence in San Bernardino County?
Top 5 Types of Nursing Home Neglect at Southern California Nursing Home Law Group