Failure to Supervise Cognitively Impaired Resident Leading to Elopement and Fatal Injury
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to provide adequate supervision and prevent elopement for a resident with known cognitive impairment and wandering risk. A quarterly assessment documented that the resident had moderate cognitive impairment with a BIMS score of 12, and the face sheet listed diagnoses including dementia, diabetes, and psychosis. The resident’s care plan identified the resident as being at risk for wandering. The administrator later stated that this resident had left the facility property approximately three times prior to the incident under investigation. The administrator also stated the facility did not have an alert system and had no policy regarding wandering or elopement. On the day of the incident, nursing documentation showed that at approximately 8:00 p.m. the resident insisted on leaving the facility. A CNA attempted twice to redirect the resident due to it being dark outside, and the nurse educated the resident about the safety concerns of walking in the dark while wearing dark clothing. The resident became agitated, cursed at staff, and then signed themself out of the facility. The nurse attempted to contact the resident’s family by phone, leaving voicemails and receiving no answer. CNA #2 reported seeing the resident sign out, telling the resident it was not a good idea, and then following the resident down the street for an undetermined distance before returning to the facility to care for other residents and informing the nurse. Subsequently, a police department case report documented that the resident was struck by a car, rolled onto the hood, and struck the windshield. An EMS run report showed that CPR was initiated by EMS and a police officer, an automated chest compression device was applied, and the resident was later pronounced deceased at the hospital. Surveyors determined that the facility failed to ensure adequate supervision to prevent elopement for this resident, despite the resident’s known wandering risk and prior episodes of leaving the property. The administrator identified two residents as being at risk for elopement at the time of the survey, and the survey findings concluded that the facility failed to provide adequate supervision to prevent elopements for one of three sampled residents reviewed for accident hazards.
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