By james art 
Prestorium: Brookheven on the 131st Life Assistance facility in Scottsdale, Ariz (Google Maps). Insertion: Robert Paulman (funeral house of Eidesness).
An elderly man from Arizona with dementia died in the extreme heat after he claims to have escaped from the living life support facility, which was tasked with monitoring every move.
The family of Robert Paulman, 85, brought a case to Maricopa County on January 17, months after he died on June 25, 2024, after exposure to extreme heat. According to the court case, Paulman was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and had a “tendency to wander”. It was something for which the employees in Brukheven of the 131st assisted life were aware and now the family accused the facility of negligence.
On the day Paulman died, the air temperature was 117 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the case received by McClachy News, the staff at the facility knew that the retired teacher was prone to wandering. It is reported that he left another facility and was found later, trying to climb a tree. Brookheven had reassured the family that they were “well equipped to care for the residents of Alzheimer’s disease”.
According to the court case, Paulman, who had just arrived at the facility days ago, left the facility through the front door. Nobody noticed that he was missing 40 minutes, at that moment an employee called 911. When they found him, he had already died.
The trial noted that the front door of the facility had a defective alarm and that it was cited for the problem in December 2023, KPHO, a local CBS branch, also reported that the front door apparently had a resume that would not close properly. “As a direct and close result of (the facility) negligence, negligence and omissions (Pollmann) died,” the court said.
Bob Boymann, the lawyer representing Paulman’s family, said he had a “growing problem” at the establishment of patients leaving unattended. The family brought a case for unspecified damage and have requested a lawsuit.
Boatman told McClachy News that the family hopes that this case can stimulate changes in other life support facilities that treat Alzheimer’s patients.