Santa Rosa Elder Abuse Attorneys: Elopement and Wandering Liability

In Santa Rosa and throughout Sonoma County, the natural beauty of our region poses a specific threat to seniors with memory impairment. When a nursing home resident wanders away from the safety of their facility, they may encounter treacherous terrain, nighttime temperature drops, or the heavy traffic of Highway 101. At the Nursing Home Law Group, we view every instance of resident elopement as a preventable tragedy caused by facility neglect.

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Santa Rosa are paid specifically to provide a "custodial" level of care. This means they are responsible for the physical safety of residents who can no longer protect themselves. When a resident with Alzheimer’s or dementia is allowed to wander, the facility has failed in its primary mission.

Under the California Welfare and Institutions Code, neglect includes the failure to provide medical care for physical and mental health needs and the failure to prevent malnutrition or dehydration. Crucially, it also includes the failure to protect from health and safety hazards. An unsecured exit for a dementia patient is a primary safety hazard.

Through our 20 years of litigation, we have seen many ways facilities fail:

• Inadequate Perimeter Security: Gates left propped open by landscaping crews or maintenance workers.
• Delayed Response: A door alarm sounds, but the staff assumes it is a "false alarm" and resets it without checking the perimeter.
• Shift Change Negligence: Between 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM, staffing levels often fluctuate and hand-offs are botched, leaving residents unmonitored during the peak hours of "sundowning."

In several California cases handled by firms like ours, facilities have been found liable for millions in damages when they ignored the "Flight Risk" assessment. For example, if a resident's chart specifically states they are "prone to wandering" and "constantly seeks the exit," but the facility fails to place them in a locked "memory care" wing, the facility's conduct moves from simple negligence to recklessness. This is a critical distinction in California law that allows families to seek higher levels of compensation for the suffering of their loved ones.

Investigating an elopement in Santa Rosa requires more than just a general lawyer; it requires an expert in California nursing home law.

• 20+ Years of Specialization: We don't handle car accidents or slip-and-falls; we focus exclusively on elder abuse and neglect.
• Award-Winning Lawyers: Our staff is recognized across the state for our aggressive approach to discovery and trial.
• Success Against Big Chains: We have a long history of success in suing the large, multi-state corporations that own many of the nursing homes in Sonoma County.

If your loved one was injured, went missing, or tragically lost their life because a Santa Rosa facility failed to monitor them, you have a right to answers. Our Sonoma nursing home wandering attorneys are here to help.

Call the Nursing Home Law Group today. We will launch an immediate investigation into the facility’s staffing levels, alarm logs, and video surveillance to prove the neglect and secure justice for your family.