Solution now required

75-year-old has already escaped from nursing home 13 times

Five fire departments and around 20 police officers were involved in the latest search operation on St. Stephen's Day.(Bild: Matthias Lauber/laumat.at)

It was the 13th search operation for a 75-year-old Upper Austrian woman this year - after the mild ending, the emergency services want a sustainable solution. According to the law, residents of a care home may not be prevented from leaving the facility. "However, discussions were sought with the relatives," says the managing director.

"It's slowly becoming paralyzing," says Gmunden fire department commander Gerald Kahrer after a search operation on the evening of St. Stephen's Day. A resident of the Schloss Cumberland nursing home had been reported missing by staff at around 5.15 pm. This was not the first time, as the 75-year-old had absconded from the facility for the mentally ill a total of 13 times since the beginning of the year.

Map now drawn up
Due to the cold, a large-scale search operation was launched immediately, involving five fire departments with drones and around 20 police officers. "We knew we were looking for the woman again. There is now a map in the depot where all previous locations are noted," says Kahrer.

On Friday, the all-clear was given after less than three hours. "We found the missing person in a construction container. She was sleeping there in her wheelchair and was brought back to the facility," said the commander. The fire department could not charge for these missions, as it was a "person in distress". However, behind closed doors, the police are said to be fermenting, and the fire chief says: "Something has to change in the future."

Residents must not be locked up
The "Krone" wanted to know from the responsible OÖ Gesundheitsholding (OÖG) what measures are being taken to prevent such incidents. People with mental illnesses are cared for at Cumberland Castle. The law stipulates that residents must not be prevented from leaving the facility, according to the inquiry.

"In this specific case, the resident was already closely supervised and kept under special observation. Following the latest incident, we have also contacted the relatives and are seeking to talk to the adult representative in order to take further measures," says Managing Director Anna Maria Dieplinger.

"Guidelines are not sufficient"
Harald Schäffl, Managing Director of OÖG, adds: "It is a great challenge to care for people with mental impairments. In special individual cases like this, the current federal legal requirements are unfortunately not sufficient support for our employees to be able to protect those affected from themselves."