Atria Walnut Creek, a senior living facility in the Bay Area, is facing the possibility of having its license revoked following the death of a resident from ingesting a caustic liquid.
The California Department of Social Services (DSS) has taken legal action against Atria of Walnut Creek, which is the second care home for the elderly owned by Atria Senior Living to be implicated in poisoning deaths.
Three poisoning deaths occurred across the two separate Atria locations.
The initial incident came to light when the family of the victim claimed that Atria management had wrongly blamed their father for his condition, alleging that he had consumed Flaming Hot Cheetos, resulting in his hospitalization.
However, subsequent investigation revealed that the man had actually died from drinking a cleaning chemical.
The coroner’s report confirmed the cause of death as caustic injury to the esophagus and stomach.
It was determined that the resident had been left unsupervised and gained access to an area that was supposed to be locked.
A staff member was criminally charged with elder abuse, and the facility was fined.
In another incident at Atria Park of San Mateo, three dementia patients were served a cleaning chemical that was mistaken for fruit juice.
Employees had been transferring the poisonous chemical into a beverage pitcher when one of them accidentally served it.
Two seniors died as a result, and a third was seriously injured.
State regulators have also moved to revoke the license of the San Mateo facility.
The attorney representing the victim in the Walnut Creek incident claims that these cases demonstrate a dangerous pattern of neglect and cover-up within Atria Senior Living.
The attorney argues that the deaths could have been prevented if the truth had been disclosed instead of falsely accusing another resident of serving the chemical.
Atria Senior Living has expressed disagreement with the Department of Social Services and has filed a notice of contest to appeal the decision to revoke the license.
They have stated their commitment to working with the authorities to reach a resolution.
Both Atria Walnut Creek and Atria Park San Mateo will remain open during the appeal process.
The company is currently facing wrongful death lawsuits filed by the families of the victims.
This ongoing investigation has attracted significant attention, with NBC Bay Area and their investigative unit covering the story and providing updates on their website, NBCBayArea.com.
The affected families continue to seek justice and answers regarding the tragic incidents that occurred at these Atria Senior Living facilities.
