The family of a man suffered from dementia and has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the nursing home responsible for his care. The man was killed after he was struck by a CSX train. The lawsuit names Heartland of Charleston nursing home and its parent company Health Care and Retirement Corp. of America LLC. The lawsuit alleges the nursing home failed to:

Provide adequate supervision to the man
Follow facility protocols for missing residents
Secure the facility
Failed to use security cameras on the property to locate the man

The lawsuit highlights the tragedy that may result if a nursing home fails to monitor its Alzheimer’s and dementia residents. Nursing homes should not only identify residents who are prone to wander, but also have safeguards in place to keep individuals safely within the confines of the facility. Nursing homes housing residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s should have: door locks, window locks, security alarms and extra staff to ensure the residents remain safe and under supervision.

Learn more about the laws applicable to Virginia nursing homes here.
Click on the links for information on nursing homes in Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Richmond

Jonathan Rosenfeld's Nursing Homes Abuse Blog says:

March 11, 2009 at 5:51 am

Broken Door Alarm Cited In Investigation Of Nursing Home Residents Death

On February 2nd, Carrie ‘Christine’ Evans wandered from Primrose Villa Nursing Home just a few hundred yards to her death. Officials from the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s office concluded that Ms. Evans’ death was due to a closed head injury…