Deadly Neglect of demented patients in assisted living facilities

Bad news! Concerning!

"Just about every day in the U.S., patients with memory problems walk away from their assisted-living facilities undetected.

In the last five years, 2,000+ people have wandered away from assisted-living and dementia-care facilities or have been neglected for hours outside. 

~100 of those people have died—though the number has not been closely tracked.

Exposure to the elements is the chief cause: 61% died after hours—or days—of exposure to extreme heat or cold. People have also died after drowning in bodies of water, falling into ditches, or being repeatedly stung by bees and ants. 

In an exhaustive investigation into such “walkaway deaths,” The Washington Post details a “pattern of neglect” by the $34 billion industry and a lack of federal and state oversight to hold facilities accountable for understaffing, ignoring alarms, or skipping bed checks."

Global Health NOW: Anthrax Battle Baffles African Scientists; Deadly Neglect at Memory Care Facilities; and Kindling a New Kind of Fire Investigation

Dozens Of Assisted-Living Residents Died After Wandering Away Unnoticed