Connecticut Nursing Home Fined $1,080 After Elopement
of Resident with Dementia
Failure to protect and safeguard residents known to be at risk for elopement is considered sub-standard quality of care and may result in the submission of false claims
Compliance Perspective – Elopement
Policies/Procedures: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Director of Nursing and the Administrator will review the policies and procedures involving protecting and safeguarding residents at risk for elopement.
Training: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Director of Nursing will ensure that staff are trained to follow physicians’ instructions for monitoring and are alert to residents known to be at risk for elopement who are to wear sensor devices like a Wander Guard bracelet, and who may have removed them. They will also ensure that elopement drills are conducted periodically, and that staff demonstrate competence in responding appropriately.
Audit: The Compliance and Ethics Officer should personally conduct periodic audits to verify that residents at risk of eloping who are to wear a sensor device bracelet are wearing them, and that they are operating correctly. Also, the audit should include verifying that any physician-prescribed periodic monitoring orders are followed.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) has fined a nursing home $1,080 for failing to prevent the elopement of a resident in a nursing home who was known to be at risk for elopement, but who was able to leave the nursing home on July 2 without supervision. The resident wandered about a mile away and was missing for two hours before being found by a staff member who recognized the resident and returned the resident to the facility. Before the July 2 incident, the resident had incidents of either talking about or attempting to leave the nursing home on at least five days—June 10, 11, 13, 18, and 29.
During the June 13th incident, it was noted that the resident was not wearing a Wander Guard sensor bracelet, so a new bracelet was placed on the resident. However, the resident was later seen again not wearing it. The DPH report stated that the resident’s physician ordered the bracelet discontinued, and staff were directed to monitor the resident every 15 minutes. The investigation found that on July 2 when the elopement was investigated, the resident had not been monitored between 3:15 p.m. and 5:45 p.m.
Officials at the nursing home did not issue any statements or return phone inquiries about the fine.
