Alzheimer’s Resident Dies Hours After Escaping From Illinois Nursing Home

The Chicago Tribune reported that an 81-year-old resident at the Maryville Manor Nursing Home ‘shimmied’ through a window to escape the facility and wander from the grounds.  Hours later, the man was found dead along a nearby road.

Authorities at Maryville Manor confirmed that the man suffered from Alzheimer’s and had been living at the facility for two weeks. Madison County, Illinois authorities are conducting an investigation into this wandering incident.

An open window?

Nursing homes that house Alzheimer’s residents should have necessary safeguards in place to ensure the safety of residents.  One of the biggest threats to Alzheimer’s residents is self-inflicted injury due to wandering from the safety of a facility.  In addition to basic precautions such as locking windows and doors, nursing homes should also:

• Use bracelets that track each resident’s location
• Assess each resident for their propensity to wander from the facility
• Hire adequate staff to look after residents
• Have contingent plans to locate residents who may wander from the facility

There is no obligation on the part of nursing homes to house every person who seeks out the facility’s services.  However, when the nursing home agrees to house a resident who is disoriented or has dementia, the nursing home is implicitly agreeing they are able to properly care for the individual and is responsible for providing proper care.

For more information on nursing homes in Chicago look here. For laws related to Illinois nursing homes, look here.

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