My Senior Keeps Escaping From Their Nursing Home in North Palm Beach: What Can I Do?
In 2025, CBS 12 reported that a lost elderly woman was found wandering in North Palm Beach. Authorities had no idea where she came from, and it is likely that she was struggling with cognitive decline or dementia. These stories are all too common, and seniors often become lost in this manner after “escaping” from their long-term care facilities. What are your legal options in this situation? Can an elder law attorney in North Palm Beach help?
Allowing a Senior to Escape Could Be Abuse or Neglect
Depending on the circumstances, the nursing home could face allegations of abuse or neglect if it allows your senior to repeatedly escape the facility. A responsibly run facility should have effective safety policies and procedures to keep this from happening. This includes not only technology but also staff training.
For example, a senior should never have the ability to simply wander out of a facility. There should be multiple layers of doors, guards, and security cameras to prevent this from happening. If your senior wanders out of the door and subsequently becomes injured (or dies), the nursing home could face an abuse or neglect lawsuit.
Security Is Especially Important for Dementia Patients
Security may be particularly important for seniors with dementia. If your senior resides in a long-term care facility that specifically caters to those with dementia and Alzheimer’s, it must meet higher standards in terms of security requirements. Staff members must also receive special training on how to keep dementia patients from wandering away and potentially suffering harm.
Lacklustre Security Often Goes Hand in Hand With Understaffing
If your senior is repeatedly escaping the facility, there’s a good chance the facility is understaffed. This is because seniors will naturally find it easier to escape with fewer people watching them. Understaffing is a common issue in Florida and throughout the United States, despite the fact that nursing homes must hire a certain number of staff members depending on how many patients/residents they have.
A Nursing Home Is Not a Prison
With all that said, it is important to understand that a nursing home is not a prison. If your senior loved one is merely living in a retirement community with no concerning health issues like dementia, they may be free to exit the facility under certain circumstances. Different types of nursing homes and retirement communities have different levels of security. In fact, a nursing home could face allegations of abuse if it confines a senior against their will under certain circumstances.
Can an Elder Law Attorney in North Palm Beach Help Me?
If your senior keeps escaping from their nursing home, you have every right to be concerned. The nursing home in question obviously has some kind of issue with security or understaffing, and you can hold them accountable with a nursing home abuse attorney in North Palm Beach. If your senior has already died or suffered injuries after becoming lost, a lawsuit could be possible. Contact Kitroser Lewis & Mighdoll today for further guidance.
Source:
cbs12.com/news/local/elderly-woman-found-in-palm-beach-estates-authorities-seek-id-help-69th-drive-north-palm-beach-country-estates-pbso-august-11-2025
