International- An elderly couple was able to escape an assisted living facility in
Tennessee by using Morse code. - The couple learned the door code after listening to staff punch numbers into the electronic keypad.
- They both suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's Disease, health records show.
An elderly couple managed to escape an assisted living facility in Tennessee last month by using Morse code to crack an electronic keypad on a door, according to The Tennessean.
Documents from the Department of Health show that the elderly husband and wife, who have not been named, both suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.
The couple left staffers at the Elmcroft of Lebanon baffled after they went missing from the special care facility on March 2.
A stranger eventually found them wandering along a nearby road 30 minutes later, The Tennessean reported.
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The man told staffers he was able to decipher the door code because he "previously worked with Morse code in the military", The Tennessean reported.
He said the couple listened closely to the sounds the electronic keypad made when staffers were using it which allowed them to eventually open the door themselves.
Elmcroft of Lebanon has since been given a $2,000 fine as a result of the couple's getaway.
"The safety of our residents is the top priority at our senior living community. We are thankful both residents were returned to the community safely," the assisted living facility said in a statement according to The Tennessean.
"We reported the situation to the state and their family immediately after it happened and fully cooperated with the state during its review," the statement said.
The facility said it has since changed all its exit codes.