Admissions Halted at Memphis Assisted Living

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Tennessee health officials have fined and suspended new admissions to a Memphis assisted living facility where a resident suffered a heat stroke and dehydration after being left unattended outside on a hot early summer day.
State Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner imposed a $3,000 fine and ordered the admissions freeze on Foxbridge Assisted Living and Memory Care, part of Inspirit Senior Living, based in McLean, Va.
According to a six-page inspection report, the 91-year-old resident was found unresponsive at about 3 p.m. on June 6 of this year while sitting on a dock near the cottage where he lived.
The report concludes the facility failed to provide a safe environment for the resident who suffered from dementia, high blood pressure and heart disease. He had been admitted to the facility on Nov. 30, 2017.
Inspirit President David Mcharg said that after reviewing the state report they have decided to appeal all claims.
"We will work cooperatively with the Department of Health to resolve this matter. We look forward to continuing to provide excellent care and remain dedicated to the quality of life of our residents," he wrote in an email response to questions.
According to the report the resident was diagnosed with heat stroke and dehydration after he was transferred to a local hospital. He was discharged six days later to a local nursing home.
One Foxbridge staff member told state surveyors they were not sure how long he had been sitting out in the sun on a day that a "Code Orange" had been declared. His body temperature, according to hospital records' ranged up to 103 degrees.
"He was real hot," one of the care providers told surveyors, "and his arms and face were red."
"He did not drink any water while he was outside," another employee told the state inspectors, adding that he used a cup of water to pour over the resident when he was found unresponsive.
The facility, located at 2180 Magnum Road, sits on an 8-acre site that includes five cottages and a fishing pond. The resident was living in a cottage which houses 20 seniors. Two staffers were on duty at the time of the incident.
According to the report the resident was placed on an office chair and rolled back to the cottage where he was laid on the floor and cooled with ice until emergency responders arrived.
"There was no documentation the resident frequently stayed outdoors or was monitored outdoors," the report concludes.
"Apparently he was exposed to a lot of heat and left for several hours," the report states.
The resident's wife told surveyors said that her husband was unconscious for two hours.
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