A failure to follow standard procedures to protect residents led to criminal charges against three former assisted living employees in the hypothermia death of an 89-year-old memory care resident who wandered outside of the facility in single-digit temperatures.
The three were charged last week in Kenosha County Circuit Court in Wisconsin with a felony of recklessly abusing patients — causing death. They face up to 40 years each in prison and $100,000 in fines if convicted.
Helen Ende, who moved into Parkside Manor Assisted Living and Memory Care in Kenosha, WI, in June 2022 with a diagnosis of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, was found dead outside on Dec. 19, 2022. Authorities said Ende left the building at 12:41 a.m. through a door that triggered an alarm that was ignored by workers. Unable to make her way back inside, Ende died of hypothermia. She was not found until 7:45 a.m. when the day shift conducted a resident check of the building and reported Ende missing from her room.
At the time, the community released a statement saying they were “heartbroken by the tragic loss of one of our residents,” according to the Kenosha News.
“While we cannot discuss specifics or details, we are conducting a thorough investigation,” the statement read. “We remain committed to serving seniors in a comfortable community where their care needs, happiness and well-being are prioritized. We continuously strive to deliver the highest quality care in a homelike environment to our residents.”
According to a criminal complaint, all three employees on duty at the time failed to follow policies and procedures to safeguard residents, according to 12 News. Susan Valentin and Liliana Lozano are accused of not responding to the audible fire alarm for 28 minutes, and did not follow protocols to check on residents in the wake of the alarm. They also allegedly did not open the fire exit door or check outside the facility when the alarm sounded. Demontae Collins is accused of leaving memory care unit residents unattended during a two-and-a-half hour break.
The states’ Division of Quality Assurance investigated Parkside Manor following Ende’s death, and in January the Wisconsin Department of Health Services barred the community from taking in new residents until it complied with health and safety standards. The state ordered the community to comply with health and safety standards for behavior management and door alarms, and assessed a $1,900 fine for code and administrative violations.
The Ende family also filed a claim for wrongful death, pain and suffering, and punitive damages, according to news reports.
Parkside Manor and Chicago-based Encore Senior Living, which operates the community, did not respond to requests for comment from McKnight’s Senior Living by production deadline.
