Wandering in Nursing Homes: Preventative Measures
Wandering long-term care residents pose a danger risk to themselves through falls or other injury. There are multiple ways to ensure or enhance safety for wandering residents and prevent self-injury.
First, the long-term care facility can ensure that there is enough staff on duty to supervise residents prone to wandering. Long-term care facilities should have locks on doors and windows in areas of risk, such as exit doors, stairwells, and windows. These locks should be checked regularly to ensure that they are properly fastened and in working order.
Long-term facilities should also opt to utilize bed and/or chair alarms for active residents. These alarms will sound when the resident exits the bed or chair and is moving around. These alarms will trigger staff members to check on the resident's whereabouts. Of course, for this measure to be effective, there need to be enough properly trained staff members present to respond when an alarm sounds.
Newer technology for protection includes wireless and RFID (radio frequency identification) door security and resident tracking solutions. With a simple RFID system, residents are assigned a bracelet upon admission to a long-term care facility. Doors are equipped with wireless keypads, RFID readers, and tags. When a resident wearing a bracelet comes within range of the RFID reader at exit doors, an alarm sounds and the door automatically locks. Keypads placed at the doors allow staff members to bypass the system in the event a resident needs to leave the facility or enter another area of the facility.
There are more complicated RFID systems available, such as SafeGuard. With these systems, staff members are able to use any computer monitor in the facility to view the facility's floor plan and find the at-risk resident at any place the resident is located. These systems also have the capability of door alarms and automatic door locking mechanisms.
Surprisingly, the cost to implement these safety systems is not as exhorbitant as one might think. Reportedly, the cost for security for a basic door is approximately $1,100 per door. The cost for the SafeGuard system is more expensive and depends upon each individual facility.
The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at (888) 317-2525 or visit us on our website at www.nursinghomejustice.com.
