This case report comes to us from Idaho but could, and does, occur everywhere.
The family of a man who wandered away from a Gooding nursing home five years ago has sued the facility’s parent company. In the lawsuit, stepsons of former Magic Valley Manor resident John Henry Davis allege the home and Northwest Bec-Corp didn’t do enough to keep their 81-year-old stepfather safe. Wendell, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, disappeared in July 2002.
These facts describe what is called an “elopement” or unauthorized departure from a nursing home. They should not occur and cannot occur if exit door have alarms and patients are closely supervised.