An assisted living facility in Tennessee is facing some serious consequences after two residents were able to escape last month using some special military training.
After failing to provide daily checks on the whereabouts of the two residents who escaped from the secure memory unit for a short time the Elmcroft Senior Living in Lebanon must now pay a hefty $2,000 fine.
The two residents were a husband and wife who, according to public records, both suffer from dementia as well as Alzheimer’s disease but in a moment of clarity the husband was able to use his past military training in Morse code to decipher the building’s electric lock code.
By listening carefully to the staff punch the code into the pin pad, the husband was able to figure out the pattern and made a break for freedom but not without his wife. The two enjoyed just 30 minutes on the outside before a stranger discovered them wandering two blocks away from the facility.
When the husband started to display some concerning habits such a wondering about and looking for exits, the staff was meant to increase the number of daily check-ins. He was allowed scheduled times to walk outside in an effort to mitigate these habits but nothing could deter his need to exit the building.
The Elmcroft facility made a statement saying, “The safety of our residents is the top priority at our senior living community. We are thankful both residents were returned to the community safely. We reported the situation to the state and their family immediately after it happened and fully cooperated with the state during its review.”
All of the facility’s exit codes have since been changed.
