wandering

March 20, 2026

What is Wandering, and is a Nursing Home Liable?

Whether you have an elderly loved one in a nursing home in Santa Clara or elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area, it is important for you to understand the risks associated with wandering. Wandering is a particular issue for elderly nursing home residents who have Alzheimer’s disease, another form of dementia, or other cognitive impairments. As such, if your elderly parent or loved one has been diagnosed with any disease or condition that involves cognitive impairment and they are currently living in a nursing home, you should learn more about wandering and how the facility can be liable when it happens. Our Santa Clara nursing home neglect attorneys can tell you more, and we can speak with you today about filing a claim to hold the facility accountable.

What is Wandering in a Nursing Home Context?

Nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are at risk of “wandering.” The term can have a range of meanings, according to a study in the journal Practical Neurology, but it is one that is applied to “dementia-related locomotion activities.” What does this mean?

June 20, 2025

Liability for Wandering and Elopement in Los Angeles County Nursing Homes

by Nursing Home Law Group

Nursing home negligence can take many different forms, and it is important for anyone with an elderly loved one in a Los Angeles County nursing home to know when a facility can be liable for a careless act or omission. Wandering and elopement are common issues among nursing home residents that raise questions about nursing home negligence. When an elderly nursing home resident wanders from an area that is safe, they can get hurt. In many cases, the nursing home can be liable for any harm that occurs because the facility has a duty to ensure that staff members properly monitor residents who may be likely to wander.

Our Los Angeles County nursing home negligence lawyers can tell you more about wandering and elopement, and we can help you understand whether a facility may be liable if your loved one suffered harm because of wandering or elopement.

What are Wandering and Elopement?

October 11, 2024

Wandering and Nursing Home Negligence: What to Know

by Nursing Home Law Group

Elderly adults in San Diego County nursing homes or specialized memory-care facilities often have been diagnosed with forms of cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. When a person has cognitive impairment, the facility must take steps to ensure that they receive a certain level of care related to their condition. In other words, skilled nursing facilities have a duty to provide the type of care that is necessary based on the resident’s needs, and for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of cognitive impairment, it may be necessary to take steps to prevent wandering. When a resident wanders and suffers an injury, the facility could be liable based on a theory of negligence. Our San Diego County nursing home negligence lawyers can tell you more.

What is Wandering?

What does the term “wandering” mean in relation to nursing home care and older adults in Southern California? According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), wandering is also known as elopement, and it refers to a situation “when someone leaves a safe area or responsible caregiver.” As the NCOA clarifies, when a nursing home resident wants, they “may not be aware of their safety, which puts them at risk of getting lost, falling, or other accidents with injuries.”