An elderly couple briefly got out of a secure memory unit inside an assisted living facility in Lebanon, Tennessee, due to past military training. The husband and wife used Morse code techniques to decipher and open electronic locks.
The couple, of which both the husband and the wife have dementia and Alzheimer disease, managed to break out of the Elmcroft assisted living facility in the city of Lebanon, based on a report by the Tennessean.
The husband put to use his military training and his ability to use Morse code to memorize the way to open an electronic door lock.
How did it all happen?
The two were able to learn what the door code was by listening carefully each time a member of the staff punched in the numbers into the keypad, the newspaper reports.
The husband and wife, whose identities have not been disclosed, disappeared for 30 minutes before a stranger saw them walking on a road two blocks away from the facility.
What were the consequences?
Elmcroft of Lebanon was given a $2,000 fine by officials as a results of the failure “to provide daily awareness for the whereabouts of the residents”.
The assisted living facility has reassured state regulators that it will take precautions to prevent such incidents and make sure all residents are safe from harm.
It is planning to increase rounds by the staff and to schedule a walking time for the man “outside the facility with a staff member present”, the news outlet goes on to report.
All the codes for the exit doors from the memory unit have also been changed, as the Tennessean documents.
“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,” the Lebanon facility representatives said in a statement to FOX 23.