Assisted living residents use Morse code to unlock facility keypad and escape
The facility has since changed all the lock codes in the memory care unit, WTVF reported.
LEBANON, Tenn. (WVLT) - Two assisted living residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in Lebanon used Morse code to unlock a keypad at their facility and leave the building, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, WVLT’s Nashville CBS affiliate WTVF reported.
WTVF reported the incident happened in March 2020 according to documents.
Both residents left the memory care unit of the facility and were spotted 30 minutes later by a stranger and returned, according to documents obtained by WTVF. They were found a few blocks down the road.
WTVF reported one of the residents claimed he previously used Morse code in the military and was able to decode the keypad just by listening to staff members punch in numbers.
The Tennessee Board For Licensing Health Care Facilities said the facility “failed to provide daily awareness” for the couple. They fined the facility $2,000 on April 7.
The facility has since changed all the lock codes in the memory care unit, WTVF reported.
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