Shannon LW
Jul 2026
My mother was in the advanced stages of Alzheimers when she was admitted to Autumn Bay. Hospice was engaged to assist with her care. Her condition rapidly deteriorated at the facility. My father witnessed two care givers boost my mom up on the bed so hard her head banged into the headboard. My mother cried out in pain. A few days later, hospice care advised the family my mother was in the active stage of dying. When we arrived at the facility, no one was with my mother, she lay unresponsive and laboring to breathe. About an hour later, a member of our family had to leave, and friends came to the facility to sit with us and mom but couldn't get in. No one can enter or exit without staff entering a code at the door. We searched for a staff member by walking throughout the facility, looking in the office and kitchen, but we found no one. A sign on the front entrance says that if you push on the door for 15 seconds, an alarm will sound and it will open. We did that because a family member had to get out and friends had to get in. The alarm continued to sound, so I continued searching for staff but still couldn't find anyone. I called the Director but there was no answer and a message that she was out until Thursday of that week. I found a bulletin board with emergency contacts. I started calling the numbers until someone answered, because the door was still open and the alarm going off. A resident in a wheel chair passed me in the hall calling for help. I relayed everything to the person who answered one of the emergency numbers. I returned to my mother's room, eventually a staff member came in, she was on the phone with the Director who wanted to speak with me. She chastised me for calling the emergency numbers. I asked, "What would you have me do? Family had to leave, friends had to get in, my mother is dying, a man is calling for help in the hall and the alarm was going off." She said they are not a concierge service. I think that meant that anyone who has to leave that building has to wait until staff appears. I don't think that is safe. It is also not safe that any resident could do the same thing I did to open the door, it is not monitored and that alarm went off until I called the emergency numbers, got someone who then called the staff members. In summary, concerns with the facility are (1) my mom's head was banged on the headboard by staff boosting her up. (2) The entrance is unattended, residents at risk of wandering can get out. (3) There isn't enough staff. (4) Little to no support as my mom lay dying. (5) Emergency numbers are posted but we were chastised for utilizing them. Sadly, my mother passed away early the next morning. The experience was made worse by her residence at Autumn Bay.
