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Time to reexamine resident suicide policies

LTC Liability Monitor, June 22, 2006

Review your facility's policies regarding resident suicide before a tragic incident occurs. One Knoxville, TN organization will do this following the death of a resident who took his own life earlier this week. The male resident left his assisted living residence to visit his home and returned with a handgun that he used to shoot himself, reported the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Staff at the assisted living facility (ALF) said the man was independent until recent severe back pain set in. State Department of Health statistics show that in 2005, there were 17 suicides or attempted suicides in Tennessee healthcare facilities. In 2004, the total number was the same, with three incidents in ALFs, seven in long-term care facilities, and one in a residential home for the aged, reported the News Sentinel.

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