Oxygen burns smoking patient

A nursing home resident on oxygen was seriously burned after a wander-prevention system failed to alert workers when he went outside to smoke. Auburn Manor in Chaska was cited by the Minnesota Department of Health for neglect in the September incident, according to a report made public last month. Hospital records indicate the resident, who suffers from dementia, sustained burns to his right hand, nose and facial hair. His lips were blistered. The resident's care plan calls for supervision while smoking, but the electronic system that uses bracelets to sound an alarm didn't work. Staff members told investigators that it's possible nobody checked the system for more than a year, when the person who had those duties left the facility. The nursing home can appeal the finding. Read the complete report here.