Behavioral Health

70th AHCA/NCAL Convention and Expo

BH-1 - Safe/Unsafe Leaving: A New Way to Think About an Old Problem of Elopements

Speaker(s)

• 

  Susan Wehry, MD, PLC

  Chief of Geriatrics
  University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine
  University of New England College of Medicine

  Disclosure: Nothing to Disclose

Freedom to come and go is crucial to the experience of home and a high quality of life, and it supports physical activity and wellness. However, that freedom also involves risk. When a resident has cognitive impairment or a mobility limitation that may compromise his or her safety, most long term care and assisted living communities will spend a lot of time trying to keep that resident safely in. In partnership with Sunrise Senior Living, Susan Wehry turned this paradigm on its head and asked, “How do we help residents be safely out?” This led to the creation of a safe leaving program, which optimizes the sense of home and mitigates risk. You won’t look at elopements the same way again!

Learning Objectives:

• Define key features of a safe leaving program.
• Discuss safe leaving practices, including assessment of mobility and mentation, and unsafe leaving protections.
• Describe ways to work successfully with surveyors to avoid deficiencies when adopting a safe leaving program.