Elopement in Minnesota

Dan Frith

Contributor

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Why does this tragedy repeated happen? An individual is placed in a nursing home due to advancing dementia or Alzheimer's disease. The family is worried that dad or mom will become disoriented and leave their home and wander into traffic or otherwise harm themselves. The family travels to several nursing homes, advising the Director of Nursing and Admissions personnel that the facility needs to monitor their loved one and are assured that all exterior doors are continuously monitored or have door alarms. The family relies on these assurances, moves their family member into the facility, and the inevitable occurs! The resident elopes and is killed or seriously injured!

We have handled several of these cases in Virginia and now here is another report from Minnesota. Roger Allan Bentrup, 56, suffers from dementia and is a diabetic. He wandered away from the Talahi Care Center in St. Cloud and police are asking for the public's help in finding him.

I hope the police find Mr. Bentrup before he is seriously injured. How could he have left the facility unnoticed? Someone was not doing their job!