State Inspectors Assess $6,000 Fine on Northridge Village After Resident’s Death

An assisted living center in Ames, Iowa was fined $6,000 following the death of a resident. This death is the third at Northridge Village in the last three years. Northridge, which consists of both an assisted living facility and a nursing home, was also cited following the deaths of the other two residents.

The latest death occurred in January 2024, after a female resident was discovered lying on the floor next to her bed. She was hospitalized and diagnosed with cracked ribs, atrial fibrillation and dehydration.

The woman had gone out shopping on December 29, 2023, returning to her apartment at the facility later that same day. Over the next couple of days following that outing, her family called her cellphone several times, and were concerned when she did not answer.

Two days later, on Sunday, December 31, a relative of the resident went to the facility to check on her. The door to the resident’s apartment was locked when she arrived, so the family member got assistance from the facility’s staff. When they entered, they found the woman lying on the floor by her bed. She was still conscious at the time and said she may have broken her ribs.

The woman was treated at the hospital before being transferred to hospice. She died a few days later.

State inspectors talked to the facility director who reported the resident’s emergency pendant had been deactivated. State regulations require these pendants to be working at all times so residents can alert staff when they need help.

The report from the inspectors does not say who deactivated the pendant or how it happened. The report also does not say when the woman may have fallen to the ground or how long she was lying there.

Northridge Village was cited after the deaths of two other resident, which occurred in November 2021 and November 2022. The 2021 incident involved a resident who fell while being improperly transferred out of bed. The 2022 death involved a urinary tract infection that went untreated.

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