When elderly individuals wander from or leave the nursing care facility in which they are placed, the results can be catastrophic, even fatal. In many cases, those that wander from the facility in which they are placed are suffering from some type of confusion or dementia. This only exacerbates the problem. These individuals may become scared and feel helpless as they realize they are alone, but they may be unable to adequately communicate their needs to others. Elderly nursing home residents that wander from their facility may suffer injuries from falls or their wandering may result in death due to things such as heat stroke or hypothermia. Those that wander from or leave the facility in which they reside place themselves in seriously life-threatening situations without even realizing the gravity of their circumstances.

According to federal nursing home regulations, all nursing home residents must be assessed upon admission to the facility. The assessment is to include a written plan of care, which should be updated regularly. A main purpose of a written plan of care is to determine the elderly individual's ability to function independently. Those that are deemed incapable of functioning independently should be given the proper supervision they require. This is especially true for when these individuals are outside of the facility. Nursing homes should have appropriate devices in place and sufficient staff to prevent high-risk individuals from leaving the facility. If the nursing home fails to properly supervise or monitor these individuals or have proper prevention devices in place, the nursing home could be held responsible for any injuries suffered by the individual as a result of wandering from the facility.

There are several safety precautions that nursing homes can take to prevent elderly patients from wandering. By placing an adequate number of staff to supervise high-risk residents, elderly wandering may be prevented. Individuals prone to wandering could be placed in room closer to the nurses station. Alarms or bells may be placed on the doors of such individuals in order to alert staff of potential wandering. The doors of the section of the nursing home in which high-risk individuals are housed should be locked and secured. Security cameras or security guards may also help prevent wandering. If nursing homes have not taken the appropriate steps to protect high-risk individuals from wandering and an injury or death occurs, the families of these individuals should contact an attorney for assistance.