An assisted living facility in Tennessee was fined $2,000 by state officials after an elderly couple managed to break out of the ‘security memory unit’ using morse code.
The man, who has dementia, and his wife, who has Alzheimer’s disease, broke free from the Elmcroft Senior Living after the husband listened in on staff tapping on the electronic door keypad.
He then used his skills he learned from the military to decipher the number they needed to escape.
The elderly couple had been missing for half an hour when they were found walking outside two blocks away from the facility.
Staff could not explain how the pair managed to get out of the facility-
After being questioned, the elderly man explained how he had ‘previously worked with Morse code in the military.’ He then used his skills to listen to staff as they press the PIN combination into the door.
As a result, the facility was fined $2,000 by state officials. State records also said that the facility will now check on residents more frequently and make sure that the couple who escaped will have more “walking time outside the facility with a staff member present.”
Their daughter also promised to visit them and take them outside more frequently.
A statement from the facility reads: “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.”
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