FAQ on Wandering from CMS

Last week CMS issued an FAQ for Medicaid beneficiaries in the community who wander. FAQs concerning Medicaid Beneficiaries in Home and Community-Based Settings who Exhibit Unsafe Wandering or Exit-Seeking Behavior offers 4 FAQs. Each FAQ offers suggestions for providers. For example, FAQ 3 offers suggestions for staffing, "environmental design" and activities while FAQ 4 offers actions that the providers can take, such as "[e]nsuring that individuals have opportunities to visit with and go out with family members and friends, when they want this."  The 4 FAQs are:

1.  How can residential and adult day settings comply with the HCBS settings requirements while serving Medicaid beneficiaries who may wander or exit-seek unsafely?

2. Can provider-controlled settings with Memory Care Units with controlled-egress comply with the new Medicaid HCBS settings rule? If so, what are the requirements for such settings?

3. What are some promising practices that HCBS settings use to serve people who are at risk of unsafe wandering or exit-seeking?

4. How can residential and adult day settings promote community integration for people who are at risk of unsafe wandering or exit-seeking? What are some examples of promising practices for implementing the community integration requirements of the regulations defining home and community-based settings and simultaneously assuring the safety of individuals who exhibit these behaviors?