Dad Escaped From Secure Memory Care (tx)

Reaching out for some much needed advice regarding my dad’s memory care facility (TX). Sorry in advance for all the info, just trying to give a clear picture of the situation. I placed my dad into memory care on January 23 of this year due to escalating behavior. He had a sharp decline around Thanksgiving 2024 and began wandering away from his home, in addition to existing issues with depression, agitation, and grooming. I was thorough in filling out the intake forms and conversing with the staff, and I laid out all of the issues he’s been having living alone at home, and I shared my concerns about his behavior/reactions once he is placed into memory care. Wandering and trying to leave the facility was my top concern.

I stated that medication adjustment needed to happen as soon as possible for his own comfort and wellbeing. I agreed to use their facility doctor and psychiatrist; his PCP (a memory care specialist) would not engage in any meaningful medication adjustment over the past two years we’ve been seeing him. The only med adjustments done by the facility was hydroxyzine 25 mg (started 2/1/25) and Depakote 250 mg(started 2/6/25 and takes 3-4 weeks to see full effects).

This past Friday, 2/7/25, he escaped from memory care. I was not notified by them because they did not realize he was missing. I found out that he made it home when the security camera by his front door alerted me. That was about 6:15 PM. I called memory care and told the attendant who answered the phone that he was at his house and I saw him on camera. Of course, she had a hard time believing me, as she felt she had just seen him a few minutes earlier. She walked him to his room after he ate dinner. She insisted on checking his room and saw that he was not there and couldn’t locate him on site. She had her boss call me back about 5 to 10 minutes later, and I learned at that time that no alarms had sounded. I asked staff to check their security cameras so that we could obtain as much info as possible, and they stated they do not have security cameras at all anywhere on site.

The memory care facility sent 2 staff members to retrieve my dad from his house. Being that his behavior is erratic, anxious, and not what it used to be due to this disease, I insisted on having a non-emergency police officer (trained in mental health emergencies) meet them at the house. My dad is not always cooperative, but he still very much respects people in a clear position of authority. The memory care staff was able to eventually get my dad into their vehicle and take him back to the facility. While they were driving back, staff asked him how he made it from the facility to his home, which is about 16 miles. He very casually stated that he hitchhiked. The facility is set back from a busy road. Once he was out the door, he was able to follow the sounds of traffic and apparently find someone willing to drive him.

Today, staff sent me an intake assessment for my dad dated 1/23/25, his first day in the facility. It stated that there were no concerns re: wandering, depression, agitation, or grooming. About an hour later, they sent a new assessment noting that he does have issues with all of these things. They asked me to sign and not date. Admittedly, this all feels suspect to me, but I’m also frazzled and on high alert.

So now to my questions. Can/should I pursue this as a legal matter? Could this facility tell me my dad needs to be removed due to this behavior? How should I even proceed?