It’s about as frightening as it gets: an elderly woman who suffers from dementia wandering the city streets alone in the early morning hours. But unfortunately, this story is real.
Earlier this week, the Post-Gazette.com posted an article about a 75-year-old nursing home resident who was finally found after she wandered away from the facility. The article said she left the home sometime between 2 and 6 A.M. She had been living at the nursing home for about a month and it is believed that she was may have been trying to return to her home in McKeesport.
It will be interesting to follow up with the details of this case. But what we have to question is this: if this resident suffered from dementia, shouldn’t she have been in a secured unit in the nursing home? It’s likely that her family placed her in the home because of complications from her dementia. So shouldn’t the home have been more careful in monitoring her whereabouts?
If you have a loved one with dementia who is currently residing in a skilled nursing facility and you suspect that he or she is not getting the attention required, you may have a case. Contact the nursing home abuse attorneys at O’Connor Law for a free review of your case.