‘They failed’: Lawsuit claims Bend memory care home left elderly patient out in the heat prior to death

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A family is suing the Bend memory care home where their mother used to live for wrongful death after the family said she was left out in the heat and died while living there last August.

Melisa Finch and her family are suing Aspen Ridge in Bend – and their former management company – for personal injury and wrongful death. Finch’s mother, Celia Hess, had dementia and lived at the facility for close to two and a half years.  She liked to bundle up in warm clothing, which is how she was found, unresponsive outside. The medical report says Hess’s body was 109 degrees when she got to the emergency room, and that care staff said she was left outside for at least two hours. The family is seeking $17 million in damages.

Finch said the former administrator admitted Hess was left outside in the heat. And Finch said the conditions at her mom’s facility changed from when she first moved in.

“They were doing a lot of hands-on activities, on site,” she said. “And then slowly, over time, we saw that start to disappear and there was less and less of, keeping them engaged and providing enrichment. And it started to look more like warehousing.”

Finch said the circumstances of her mother’s death are unbelievable and leaving her out in the heat was completely avoidable. She called it every family member’s nightmare when you cannot take care of your aging parent yourself.

“You essentially have to trust facilities like this that they will take care of your loved one,” she said. “And at a minimum, keep them safe. You know, observe them, make sure that you know what they’re doing, where they are and that they’re in a safe environment.”

But Finch said that did not happen at Aspen Ridge. She cited a time her mom fell and injured her wrist, and the family never found out until her brother visited Hess at the facility.

“She was not being provided the services that she does that she deserved,” she said. “And so, you know, there’s always regret or wondering, could we have done something different? But we trusted them to keep her safe. And they failed in that.”

Finch called the lawsuit justice for her mom, but said it also goes beyond Aspen Ridge.

“We feel obligated to use the voice that my mom didn’t have, that these other residents don’t have to bring this awareness to this,” she said. “This is a pattern within this industry.”

Aspen Ridge is now under new management. Frontier did not respond to a request for comment.