By Healthcare Facilities Today

According to an article on the World News Report website, long-term care facilities are increasingly concerned about how to keep their seniors residents safe. Reports of abuse and neglect in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes and other similar care centers for elderly or disabled people are in the news all too often.

Patient elopement occurred in 10 percent of lawsuits against nursing homes, according to the Briggs Corp.  Briggs defines elopement as "when a dependent resident in a licensed facility leaves that facility without staff observation or knowledge."

A person needing a residential care center is nearly always vulnerable in some way, the article said. He or she may have dementia, memory loss, confusion, a developmental disability, physical disability, poor health or frailty. Such a patient is vulnerable in the community to the elements, terrain, water, traffic, animals, violence, exploitation and abuse.

Ways a facility keep its patients safe from elopement include:

• Assessment

• Monitoring

• Equipment

• Response planning

• Reporting and prevention

Read the article.