Son demands answers after father with dementia released from Jesup nursing home, found in North Carolina

JESUP, Ga. (WTOC) - An 82-year-old Glynn County man diagnosed with dementia was found two states away in North Carolina after his nursing home released him to distant relatives without his power of attorney’s consent, according to his family and local authorities.James Elledge was supposed to be in the care of a Harborview Health Systems facility in Jesup, Georgia. Instead, he was located Thursday morning by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.His son, David Elledge, who holds medical power of attorney for his father, said he is demanding answers about how the facility allowed a vulnerable resident to walk out the door.“So they just opened the door and let a dementia patient just go free,” David Elledge said.David Elledge said his father suffers from severe memory loss, takes daily medications, uses a walker, and is designated as a high fall risk. Anticipating discharge issues, he said he sent a formal letter to the nursing