Assisted living resident dies after being left in sun for hours, Oregon officials say
.png "Aspen Ridge Memory Care in Bend, Oregon, is pictured. The facility is no longer allowed to accept new residents as it is monitored by health officials.")
A resident died at an assisted living facility in Oregon after she was left outside in the sun for hours, officials said.
The woman was found unresponsive in a courtyard Aug. 30 at Aspen Ridge Memory Care in Bend, according to documents from the Oregon Department of Human Services and KTVZ. McClatchy News obtained the documents Sept. 26.
“We are heartbroken and saddened by the incident that occurred at Aspen Ridge. We are committed to providing a safe environment for all our residents. We are in contact with the family and are doing everything we can to support them and our staff during this time,” Frontier Senior Living, which manages Aspen Ridge, said in a statement to McClatchy News on Oct. 1.
“The health and safety of our residents has, and will always be, our number one priority. The incident is under investigation, and we have contacted and are working with local law enforcement and Oregon Health and Human Services.”
When medical responders got to the woman, she was “hot to the touch” and had an internal temperature of 105 degrees, officials said in the report.
She was taken to a hospital where she died from hyperthermia, a heat-related illness, officials said.
The resident had been left in the sun wearing a “heavy winter fleece, pants, and a long-sleeved thin sweater under the fleece,” according to the report.
It reached a high of 97 degrees in Bend that day, according to AccuWeather.
What is being done to protect residents?
The memory care facility was short-staffed that day after two caregivers called out sick, officials said.
A med tech was left to take over resident care, officials said.
The facility has 43 licensed beds, according to health officials.
Ultimately, the facility “failed to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents,” the report said.
Health officials ordered a license condition and halted the facility from accepting new residents.
Additionally, officials ordered the facility to ensure enough staff are scheduled at all times, the report says.
The facility must also implement a checklist that tracks residents going to and from the courtyard, according to documents.
Workers must also check on residents every 30 minutes when they are outside and document when they checked the resident, their condition and any interventions that happened with the resident.
Officials said the facility must send written reports to the department every two weeks.
This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Assisted living resident dies after being left in sun for hours, Oregon officials say."
