Proposed regulations aim to prevent seniors from wandering away from care facilities

Memory care services offered in assisted-living facilities in Arizona could soon face new regulations to ensure the safety of seniors and prevent them from wandering off and potentially dying in the heat.

The Arizona Department of Health Services is currently reviewing proposed rules that would make reporting and training mandatory.

Following the passage of a new law, state regulators are now tasked with developing new standards for memory care facilities. Surprisingly, up until this year, Arizona had no official definition of “memory care,” despite numerous assisted-living facilities claiming to provide specialized care for individuals with dementia.

Since 2017, a minimum of twelve individuals have tragically lost their lives due to wandering out of care facilities in Arizona and succumbing to the extreme heat. Within the long-term care industry, this unsupervised act of leaving the facility is commonly referred to as an “elopement.”

Under the proposed state rules, the term “elopement” will be defined for the first time. Assisted-living facilities that provide memory-care services will have to promptly investigate elopements and notify the state health department within one business day. Currently, there is no mandated reporting and no state agency monitors elopements.

Some of the other proposed changes include:

    • Assisted-living facility managers would be required to prevent elopements.
    • The facility administrator and all staff would be required to conduct elopement drills every six months. This is a practice exercise designed to prepare staff.
    • Facilities may also use tracking systems to prevent unsafe wanderings.

The state Department of Health Services is expected to adopt the proposed rules sometime next year, although there may be changes before then. According to Dana Kennedy, the state director of Arizona AARP, these rules are a positive initial move. She emphasizes the importance of staff training in this regard.

“People often go missing, and it’s concerning that the staff may not always be adequately trained to effectively implement a plan,” she expressed.

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Kennedy believes that the proposed rules should be extended to encompass all assisted-living facilities, not just those that offer memory care.

“I believe this has been a long time coming. We still have work to do in ensuring that the facilities have robust and effective regulations,” she expressed.

Kennedy believes that it would be beneficial to issue Silver Alerts in cases of elopements, as this is not always done currently. Silver Alerts serve as a coordinated notification system that aids in locating missing individuals.

In a recent interview with ABC15, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes expressed her support for implementing new regulations regarding elopements. Mayes emphasized the need for updated laws in this area.

In an earlier interview with ABC15, she emphasized the need for a zero-tolerance approach towards elopements during the scorching summer months. “We cannot afford to have any elopements from any facility,” she expressed firmly.

She is also in favor of implementing reporting requirements.

According to Mayes, the number of elopements in the state of Arizona is not being tracked.

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