Arizona AG Joins Lawsuit Over Alzheimer’s Patient’s Death

Categories: Arizona Breaking NewsArizona State News

Striving for safer environments in assisted living facilities.

News Summary

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is now part of a civil lawsuit concerning the negligent death of Robert Pollmann, an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient who wandered from his assisted living facility, Brookhaven, and died from heat exposure. The lawsuit alleges inadequate supervision and misrepresentation of care standards. Pollmann’s family seeks justice and aims to raise awareness about the risks faced by Alzheimer’s patients in similar facilities. Brookhaven has faced prior penalties and is currently implementing new safety protocols following this tragic incident.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has joined a civil lawsuit regarding the negligence surrounding the death of Robert Pollmann, an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient who died after wandering away from an assisted living facility in Scottsdale. Pollmann’s family alleges that Brookhaven Assisted Living failed to provide adequate supervision and safety measures, ultimately leading to his tragic death.

Robert Pollmann, a retired teacher residing in South Dakota, moved to Brookhaven for safety due to his Alzheimer’s disease. Tragically, he had been a resident for less than a month when he walked out of the facility unsupervised. Staff at Brookhaven reportedly did not notice his absence for around 40 minutes, during which time surveillance footage captured Pollmann exiting through an unlocked front door. After he was reported missing, a Silver Alert was issued by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Pollmann’s body was recovered two days later, located approximately 800 feet from the care home in a wash, where heat exposure was determined to be the cause of death. Following this incident, Pollmann’s family filed a lawsuit earlier this year against Brookhaven, asserting that the facility misrepresented its capability to care for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and failed to follow essential safety protocols.

The lawsuit highlights serious concerns regarding Brookhaven’s staffing and supervision practices, as well as its compliance with state regulations. Attorney Bob Boatman, representing the Pollmann family, emphasized the family’s devastation over the loss of Robert Pollmann and the circumstances leading to his death. The lawsuit indicates that it took an unacceptable amount of time for staff to initiate a search once Pollmann was discovered missing.

Brookhaven has previously faced civil penalties for violations, which included an exit violation flagged by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Following Robert Pollmann’s death, the facility reached a settlement with the state that mandates new safety measures. These include enhanced staff training and the hiring of an independent consultant to evaluate their procedures.

The Attorney General’s office claims that Brookhaven’s failure to comply with state laws and regulations before Pollmann’s death not only endangered him but also posed risks to other residents in the facility. As this civil lawsuit develops, no court hearings have been scheduled yet, as it is still in the early stages.

In addition to seeking justice for Robert Pollmann, the lawsuit aims to shed light on the broader issue of elopement incidents in assisted living facilities, a significant concern for many families confronting similar challenges. In response to these tragic events, proposed new regulations are expected to target memory care and elopement prevention techniques for assisted living facilities, underlining the need for stronger oversight in the sector.

Pollmann’s family hopes that their efforts will raise awareness about the risks faced by residents with Alzheimer’s disease and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The ramifications of this case extend beyond the individual tragedy, highlighting systemic failures within assisted living environments that demand attention and reform.