What you don’t know about assisted living in America

Patients with memory problems walk away from assisted-living facilities just about every day in America; many die. The Post examines a pattern of neglect in America’s booming assisted-living industry. Read more: Since 2018, more than 2,000 people have wandered away from assisted-living and memory-care facilities unattended or unsupervised. These are facilities that charge families thousands of dollars a month to care for families’ loved ones. It’s a phenomenon known in the industry as an “elopement.” A team of Post reporters looked into why and how this happens, the dire consequences and who is responsible when something goes wrong. Subscribe to The Washington Post here .