Dozens of elderly people have died across the US in the last five years after walking away unchecked from assisted-living or supposedly secure dementia or memory care facilities, a national study has found, highlighting a lack of effective oversight in a burgeoning industry.
Most of about 100 deaths since 2018, reported Monday by the Washington Post, were weather-related, involving exposure to extreme heat or cold. Some of the “elopements” – the industry name for those who leave unnoticed or unsupervised – were not found until days or even weeks later.
