Oregon Tightens Care Home Rules After Woman Wanders Out and Dies on Christmas Day

Following the tragic death last year of an elderly woman who wandered away from a care center and was found dead a day later, has resulted in legislation by Oregon lawmakers that tightens control of dementia facilities.

The new legislation has been signed into law by the Governor, Tina Kotek, and follows the closure of the Mt. Hood Senior Living center in Sandy after the death of 83-year-old Ki Soon Hyun, whose lifeless body was found near the home on Christmas Day, 2023.

The new Oregon law, Senate Bill 739, tightens requirements to avoid oversights at residential care homes.

It directs the Department of Human Services to conduct regular routine inspections at newly opened facilities, and requires operators to notify the agency whenever an administrator is replaced or temporarily absent from work.

The measure also bars unlicensed individuals from serving as interim administrators and limits memory care endorsements by requiring applicants to have at least two years of experience running a licensed facility.

Her Family Has a $10 Million Lawsuit Against the State and the Mt. Hood Senior Living Facility

The family of the dead woman claims that after expressing their concern about Ki Soon Hyun’s tendency to wander, personnel at the Mt. Hood facility assured them that the premises were equipped with a security system, cameras, and pass codes.

The family admitted the woman to the care center on December 23, and she wandered away from the facility the following morning. Her lifeless body was found on Christmas Day, less than 800 yards from the home. She died of hypothermia.

The family has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the state and the care facility, accusing Mt. Hood Senior Living of causing the wrongful death of the old woman. Among their charges is failure to provide competent licensed administrators, failure to secure exits, and failure to repair faulty door locking mechanisms.