My mother is in a facility, and we had invited her roommate to come to dinner with us. We were shocked when the roommate, who is in the facility for a (stable)heart condition not dementia, was prevented from leaving by staff on her own recognizance. Neither she, nor her family, were ever informed that she had lost her right to leave of her own free will. Since the family could not be contacted, she was not permitted to join us.

My question is: do residents of a facility automatically lose their rights, and if so, shouldn't they and their families be informed if they are deemed incompetent to make decisions for themselves? Shouldn't there be some written notice of this to a family, with suggestions as to how the family can assist their resident?