Prevent Walk Away Deaths in Michigan Nursing Homes
Our Michigan nursing home neglect attorneys are experts at investigating cases involving residents who wander or elope from nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Wandering and elopement occur when a resident leaves the nursing home, assisted living facility or even their room without permission or proper assistance. Wandering and elopement are not only dangerous for the resident; it can also be deadly.
Nursing homes or assisted living facilities should provide the best possible care, if negligence occurs, they should be held responsible. When injuries or even death occur due to improper care and supervision, it can give rise to a lawsuit for nursing home neglect against that Michigan nursing home.
Assessing a patients risk for wandering can be challenging at times because wandering can be defined in numerous ways. However, several tools are available to determine an individual’s tendency to wander. These tools are concisely described below:
- Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI): a seven-point rating scale used to assess the frequency with which the patient displays any of 29 behaviors associated with agitation, a risk factor for wandering.
- The Rating Scale for Aggressive Behavior in the Elderly (RAGE): the observer will rate the frequency with which the patient exhibits any of 21 aggressive behaviors during a 3-day period.
- The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI): a questionnaire used to score the frequency, severity, and distress associated with 10 to 12 behavioral areas common in dementia.
- The Revised Algase Wandering Scale (RAWS): RAWS was designed specifically to assess an individual’s risk of wandering and comes in two forms:
- The community version (RAWS-CV): includes 37 areas that fall within five subscales. The rating scale is 1 to 5, with 1 indicating “never or unable” and 5 indicating “always.”
- LTC version (RAWS-LTC): a 1 to 4 scale (1=not a wanderer; 4=problem wanderer) to score patients on 19 areas allocated into three subscales: persistent walking, spatial disorientation, and eloping. Protecting Wandering Patients
Safe and free movement is necessary for risk free patients, but Michigan nursing homes and assisted living facilities need to have alternative barriers to keep patients who have dementia, or may be confused or agitated safe. These patients can be identified by a caregiver, nursing home doctor or medical team who properly administer one of the above listed procedures. If a nursing home does not provide the proper means of protection for wandering patients, serious injuries and even death can occur.
Legal Rights After Walk Away Deaths in Michigan Nursing Home
Our experienced Michigan nursing home lawyers represent residents and their families in lawsuits involving wandering and elopement. A patient who wanders or elopes from a facility due to improper security or under qualified staff is a victim of nursing home neglect. Facilities not held responsible for their dangerous choices will continue to harm elderly patients until they are legally accountable.
These lawsuits seek compensation for the resident and the family for the injuries suffered. They also serve to prevent such a tragedy from happening to another resident in the future. When a resident dies from elopement, we file a Michigan Wrongful Death lawsuit on behalf of the surviving family members.
Our No Fee Promise for Walk Away Deaths in Michigan Nursing Home Cases
We will represent you in your Michigan nursing home neglect case under our NO FEE PROMISE. This means that you will not be charged any legal fees whatsoever unless we obtain a settlement or recovery for you. You have absolutely no obligation for legal fees unless we win your case. If we do not obtain a settlement for you, you owe us nothing!
Contact Your Michigan Nursing Home Neglect Attorney
If a loved one has walked away from a Michigan nursing home and suffered injuries or even death, call our office now at (800) 606-1717 to speak with one of our experienced nursing home neglect lawyers. We will start working on your case immediately and gather the necessary evidence to prove and win your case. We will also get you the real answers as to what happened and how it happened. We have a top track record of successful settlements and verdicts in nursing home neglect elopement cases in Michigan and we can do the same for you. Call today for your free consultation!
