Elopement Due to Staff Failure to Respond to Roam Alert System
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, who was identified as being at risk for wandering and elopement, successfully exited the facility without staff knowledge or intervention. The resident, who had a BIMS score of 4 out of 15 indicating cognitive impairment, was able to leave the skilled nursing facility (SNF) through the main exit while in a wheelchair. Video footage confirmed that the resident propelled himself to the elevator, traveled to the first floor, and exited the building without being stopped or supervised by staff. The incident was only discovered when a former employee, passing by the facility, noticed the resident outside and contacted the facility to alert them. At the time of the incident, staff responsible for monitoring the resident were not wearing their pagers, as they were on break, and did not respond to the Roam Alert system. The facility's policy required staff to use pagers and respond to alarms generated by the Roam Alert system, which is designed to notify staff when a resident at risk for wandering approaches a monitored exit. However, the staff failed to adhere to these protocols, resulting in the resident leaving the premises unsupervised. The resident was found outside the facility, near garages of an adjoining community, on a hot and humid day, and was returned to the facility by a staff member after being located by the former employee. Interviews with staff confirmed that the resident was last seen in the dining room and that his wandering behavior was known to staff. The main exit doors and alarm systems were in place, but the lack of staff supervision and failure to carry and respond to pagers directly contributed to the resident's elopement. The facility's own investigation and review of camera footage established that the resident was unattended when he left the SNF unit, and the alarm system notifications were not acted upon due to staff inattention and non-compliance with established safety protocols.
Removal Plan
- Member [R1] was returned to his apartment and immediately assessed by the Registered Nurse (RN)1 for any injury. No injuries were identified. Skin checks were initiated, and no injuries were noted. The family was notified. Medical Director was notified, and provider team completed an assessment.
- Safety checks were completed for the Member.
- The Community implemented 1:1 sitter immediately following the event.
- The Pharmacy consultant completed a medication review that was provided to the Medical Provider.
- The Administrator met with the family and updated the Member's care plan.
- Pending room availability and appropriateness, the Community has made the recommendation to move to Memory Care Assisted Living when appropriate.
- New elopement screening conducted for all residents by Unit Nurse.
- Residents assessed by Unit Nurse for ambulatory status and BIMS (Behavioral Interview for Mental Status) level of 5 or below. Roam Alert tags and corresponding physician orders obtained for qualifying residents.
- RN and C.N.A. assigned to Member [R1] were given immediate education on pager and call bell system use by the DON.
- DON (Director of Nursing) completed immediate reeducation to SNF staff and all community staff reeducated by CSA on Roam Alert and Pager Policy.
- Working pagers and radios verified for all staff.
- Maintenance staff assessed all exit points to ensure they were in proper working order.
- Elopement binders updated by ADON for all service lines.
- Maintenance increased the sound frequency on squealers at all SNF exit points.
- Maintenance reviewed [NAME]-Tone monitor volumes and ordered external speakers to increase sound of call bells/roam alerts.
- VP of Construction ordered Desk Top pagers that will be secured in hallways to provide additional alert of call bells/roam alerts.
- Upon admission, each resident will undergo elopement screening, including evaluation of ambulatory status by Unit Nurse, to then be reviewed by DON and/or ADON.
- Nursing staff will complete daily Roam Alert Tag audits to verify device functionality, proper placement, and skin integrity monitoring once per shift. Documentation will be maintained in the medical record and Roam Alert List.
- CSA, DON, and/or Designee will conduct audits daily, weekly, and monthly or longer until 100% compliance is met to ensure Roam Alert tags are functioning and in proper use. All negative findings will be corrected immediately.
- Involved Team Members will be reeducated immediately.
- Audit results will be reviewed in monthly Quality Assurance (QA) meetings for further recommendations.
- The facility's assessment will be updated to incorporate specific Roam Alert system requirements.
- All staff re-educated by DON and CA on elopement prevention policies, including the proper use of Roam Alert tags, immediate response protocols, and the importance of timely supervision.
- New hires will receive elopement training during orientation, and annual refresher training will be conducted for all staff by Administrative Nurse Staff.
- Family input will be incorporated into individualized care plans to enhance elopement prevention strategies at start of admission and will be carried out by the IDT.
Penalty
Resources
Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:
Unsafe Cord Placement and Failure to Follow Fall Interventions: A resident with cognitive impairment and wheelchair use had a TV power cord stretched tightly across the closet doorway, blocking access and creating an environmental hazard when staff had to lift the cord to open the closet. Another resident with severe cognitive impairment and a fall-risk care plan repeatedly ran barefoot in the hallway while staff observed but did not consistently provide planned interventions such as gripper socks, footwear, ambulation assistance, or redirection.
A resident with impaired cognition, cancer, non-Alzheimer's dementia, extensive ADL needs, and a fall history was identified as a high fall risk with care plan interventions including removing a movable bedside table. After a fall, the resident was found using the table as a walker, yet observations showed the table still placed beside the bed on multiple occasions, including when staff were present. Staff interviews confirmed they were unaware of the current fall prevention interventions and that the table remained at bedside for meals despite the care plan.
Failure to complete a restraint assessment before using a wheelchair alarm for a resident with muscle weakness, difficulty walking, repeated falls, and dementia. The care plan included the alarm as an intervention, but the record lacked an initial Restraint Evaluation, and the CNO confirmed the assessment had not been completed before the alarm was placed.
A resident with cognitive deficits, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, fracture, and repeated falls was dependent for toileting and care planned for an EZ stand with 2-person assist. During observed transfers, staff placed the harness and straps correctly, but the resident only rose to about 135 degrees and never came to a full stand, while staff remained by the bathroom door during privacy periods and continued the transfer despite the resident not standing fully. An RN stated the resident was expected to stand straight up with the EZ stand and that staff should sit the resident back down and try again if not.
A resident with Alzheimer's disease and dementia was found wandering in the parking lot after leaving the building unsupervised. A family member visiting another resident saw her looking into car windows and alerted staff, who were not aware she had exited until the report. Staff interviews showed the resident had been seen earlier eating in the dining room, but no one was actively looking for her or knew she had left the facility.
A resident with parkinsonism and Alzheimer's disease, severe cognitive impairment, and a fall history was pushed in her wheelchair without foot pedals and was not assisted when she called out for help. Nursing notes and staff interviews showed a CNA propelled the resident multiple times without foot pedals, including one instance where her socked foot hit the floor, and staff acknowledged that foot pedals should be used when pushing a resident.
Unsafe Cord Placement and Failure to Follow Fall Interventions
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a television power cord was properly secured and maintained so it did not create an environmental accident hazard for R46. R46’s quarterly MDS identified moderate cognitive impairment, maximum assistance needed for dressing, grooming, and toileting hygiene, moderate assistance with transfers, and wheelchair use. During observation, R46 was in his room with the television mounted on the wall between the bathroom and closet, and the power cord ran across the closet doors and across the upper drawer of the dresser to a surge protector on top of the dresser. When R46 tried to open the closet doors, the cord was stretched tightly across the doorway and prevented the doors from opening fully unless the cord was lifted away. A later observation showed NA-D had to lift the cord above the closet door to open it and retrieve clothing. NA-D stated the cord had been positioned that way for about one year and could be dangerous if R46 pulled on it, and maintenance staff stated they were only notified that day that the television needed to be fixed. The facility also failed to ensure fall interventions were followed for R13, who had severe cognitive impairment with disorganized thinking and inattention, verbal behaviors toward others, and dependence on staff for footwear and partial to moderate assistance with dressing. R13’s care plan identified her as at risk for falls and included interventions such as ambulating with the resident, encouraging gripper socks, obtaining slip-on shoes, reducing noise, offering snacks, assisting her back to her room when running in the hallway, offering a wheelchair, and redirecting her to slow down. During observations, R13 repeatedly exited her room barefoot and ran through the hallway, including multiple times over an extended period, while staff observed but did not provide gripper socks or shoes, walk with her, redirect her to slow down, or offer other care-planned interventions. Staff interviews indicated they had difficulty redirecting her because she became agitated, and the DON stated the care plan should be followed to ensure safety.
Failure to Follow Fall Prevention Care Plan
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to implement care planned interventions to prevent further falls for one resident who was reviewed for falls. The resident had moderate impaired cognition, diagnoses including cancer and non-Alzheimer's dementia, required extensive assistance with ADLs including toileting, transfers, and locomotion, and had a history of falls. The resident's care plan identified the resident as a high fall risk related to de-conditioning, cognitive deficits, and prior falls, and included interventions such as anti-rollbacks on the wheelchair, appropriate footwear, keeping a wheelchair behind the resident when ambulating, and removing the mobile bedside table from beside the bed. After a fall in which the resident was found on the floor by the room doorway with the mobile bedside table in the hallway next to him, the resident stated he had been using the table as a walker. Despite the care plan and post-fall assessment identifying removal of the mobile bedside table as an intervention, observations showed the movable bedside table still placed alongside the bed on multiple occasions, including when staff were present in the room. Staff interviews confirmed they were unaware of the current fall prevention interventions, acknowledged the table was movable, and stated it remained at the bedside to facilitate meals. The DON confirmed the table had been at the bedside and was removed only after the surveyor discussed it with staff.
Failure to complete restraint assessment before wheelchair alarm use
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to complete a restraint assessment before implementing a wheelchair alarm for Resident #18. Resident #18 was admitted with multiple diagnoses including muscle weakness, difficulty walking, repeated falls, and dementia. The care plan for impaired mobility and fall risk, dated 3/8/26, included a wheelchair alarm as an intervention. A Bed Safety and Transfer Device Evaluation dated 4/28/26 documented that the bed/chair alarm did not restrict mobility, but the record did not include an initial Restraint Evaluation dated on or around 3/8/26 to identify the comprehensive evaluation of the chair alarm. On 7/9/26, the CNO stated that a Restraint Evaluation had not been completed prior to the chair alarm being placed for Resident #18.
Inadequate Supervision During EZ Stand Transfers
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure adequate supervision and assistance for one resident during transfers with an EZ stand lift. The resident had cognitive deficits and was dependent for toileting, with diagnoses including Alzheimer's disease, dementia, fracture, and repeated falls. The care plan identified a moderate fall risk related to weakness and directed toileting with an EZ stand and 2-person assist. During observation, nursing assistants placed the harness, safety belt, straps, and loops appropriately and assisted the resident with the lift, but the resident stood only to approximately 135 degrees and never came to a full stand. On two observed transfers, staff remained by the bathroom door while the resident was given privacy, then re-entered to continue the transfer and complete care. In both observations, the resident never achieved a full standing position despite encouragement and repeated attempts. One nursing assistant stated the transfer was safe because two staff were assisting, while the RN case manager stated she expected the resident to stand straight up when transferred with the EZ stand and that staff should sit the resident back down and try again if the resident did not. The RN case manager was unaware of any concerns about the resident transferring safely with the EZ stand. Facility policy was requested but not provided.
Resident Left Unsupervised and Was Found Wandering in Parking Lot
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to recognize that a cognitively impaired resident had left the building unsupervised and was wandering in the parking lot. The resident had diagnoses including Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and anxiety disorder, and records showed she had moderately impaired cognition, walked and transferred independently, and had no documented wandering behaviors during the MDS lookback period. Although an elopement evaluation had previously concluded she was not at risk for elopement, the care plan identified confusion, impaired cognition, and lack of awareness of safety needs. On the day of the event, a family member visiting another resident saw the resident outside in the parking lot looking into car windows and walking from car to car with a jacket and pocketbook on her arm. The family member stated the resident appeared to be looking for someone and was in the middle area of the parking lot before she reported it to staff. Nurse #3 was notified and went to check on the resident, who was then brought back inside the facility. Staff interviews showed they were not actively looking for the resident and did not know she had exited the facility unsupervised until the family member reported seeing her outside. Staff accounts indicated the resident had been seen earlier in the dining room eating, but no one was aware she had left the building. Nurse #2 and NA #1 both stated they were not aware the resident was missing until the report from the family member. The administrator stated the resident exited through the front entrance doors, but it was not known whether she pushed the button behind the receptionist desk or was let out by a visitor. The previous NP stated the resident needed someone with her if she was outside the facility and could have wandered away if left alone.
Failure to Respond to Help Requests and Use Foot Pedals During Wheelchair Transport
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a safe environment free from accident hazards for R25 when staff did not respond to her requests for help and did not provide foot pedals while propelling her wheelchair. R25 had diagnoses of parkinsonism and Alzheimer's disease, and her records documented severely impaired cognition, including a BIMS score of four on a quarterly MDS. Her care plan stated she was independent with locomotion in her manual wheelchair, but other documentation reflected a history of falls and need for staff assistance with wheelchair mobility. The care plan also lacked documentation regarding foot pedals. Nursing notes and staff interviews showed multiple instances in which R25 was pushed in her wheelchair without foot pedals. On one occasion, a CNA propelled her out of the restroom and her socked foot hit the floor when the wheelchair was pushed. On another occasion, R25 was seated in her wheelchair, holding onto the back of a recliner and calling out for help, while the CNA walked by her. The CNA later propelled R25 down the hallway without foot pedals and at one point pushed the chair and let it go. Staff interviews confirmed that residents should have foot pedals when staff are pushing them, and the CNA stated she should not push R25 without foot pedals.
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