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Long-term care ombudsman urges audit after memory-care resident deaths, warns of blurred DHS roles
Summary
State long-term care ombudsman Fred Steele described a December 2023 incident at a new Sandy memory-care facility in which a resident walked out and later died, urged a full audit of Department of Human Services licensing and regulatory functions, and said his office has investigatory and subpoena authority to pursue system-level concerns.
State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Fred Steele told the Senate Committee on Human Services on Jan. 21 that his office’s review of a December 2023 death at a recently opened memory-care facility in Sandy revealed multiple warning signs and missteps by the facility and by the Department of Human Services.
Steele said a resident moved into the facility on Dec. 24, 2023, and “she walked out an open door the very next day.” The resident was found dead outdoors the following day, Steele said. Steele described the facility as new, with staff turnover and inadequate training. He said the person serving as administrator at the time had been a business office manager who told DHS in November that she had no background to run the facility.
Steele said DHS did not deploy its full…
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