Elopement results in serious injury at Father Murray Nursing and Rehab Centre (Centerline, MI)

On December 9, 2011, a resident of Father Murray Nursing and Rehab Centre left the facility unnoticed and was injured.  The resident used a wheelchair and was diagnosed with dementia, but more particularly, he was prone to wander into other residents’ rooms, which is a sign of potential elopement (leaving the facility unnoticed and unplanned). The resident eloped and was later discovered tipped over in his wheelchair on the patio outside the facility.  He suffered abrasions on his face, head and knee. During an interview,  the resident’s daughter stated that she noticed her father’s alarm was not working a few days before the incident, and she brought it to the attention of the CNA. When the resident was discovered on the patio, the battery in his alarm was dead. The administrator of the facility could not provide evidence that the status of his alarm was ever investigated.