Colorado family says memory care facility's "fall detectors" failed

The son of a former resident of a Colorado memory care facility says a device she wore there that used "intelligent fall detection" didn't protect her the way it was supposed to.

Every night, Russ Ptacek now reads over the tiny labels on rows of little orange medicine bottles, carefully divvying up the pills inside for his mother Georgia. While he knew time was passing, he never thought he would end up here.

"I've got a kiss for you," Ptacek told Georgia, who suffers from dementia.

He has taken over as her full-time caregiver.

"We'll just kind of see where you are on your oxygen. I think you are doing pretty good," Ptacek says as he places an oxygen monitor on her finger.

While unexpected, Russ Ptacek knows it's where he needs to be, given where his mother has been.

"I researched what seemed to be the best places which of course are ridiculously expensive, and of course this is a luxury memory care (facility) which I thought would have had the best resources to care and protect my mom," he said.

Modena Cherry Creek is a Solera senior living facility. Ptacek says part of the sale was their "best in class technology," that on their website they say, "will allow us to improve resident safety and overall quality of life." That includes a wearable device called a Tempo that the manufacturer, Carepredict, says if used right can reduce falls by more than 60% using "intelligent fall detection."

"My mom fell five times in that facility in a 2-month period and never once could they provide an explanation as to how she fell and never once did her fall detector go off," he said.

Ptacek documented every fall and the bruises and bleeding that followed, and he became so concerned that he started running his own tests. That included throwing the device on the floor and across the room.

"I did the same test two days later. Same thing, and that time I waited 40 minutes for help. 40 minutes throwing this thing all over the room no one ever came," he said.

He went to management on multiple occasions and was told by staff it was working. He recorded the conversations.

"She tells me again and again 'It's working, it's working at 100%,' so I say let's test it. In a video recorded on his cellphone the staff member is then seen checking the device saying, 'Well it's not going to do it right now, it doesn't have a battery," she said.

"It does not have a battery," he responds.

Moments after that interaction, he met with the executive director of the facility, Liz Dreifuss, who behind closed doors shared a different story that Ptacek also recorded.

"What I will tell you, Russ, so the company that we use is called Carepredict, they are coming to the building to do a reboot of the devices. They feel as though possibly some of the software has become out of date and I'm going to tell you right now the fall detection -- it's not working 100%."

He meets with Dreifuss again a few days later and she points to a new issue.

"Right now, we will keep her Tempo on her. The fall sensitivity on her Tempo is high. Does she have the Tempo on her neck?" Dreifuss is heard saying.

Yeah," Ptacek responds.

"Yeah, sometimes that can also affect sensing the falls," she says.

Dreifuss then reveals that the device was designed to be worn on the wrist.

"Do you know why it's on her neck?" Dreifuss asks.

"No, if it's safer. I would want it on her wrist," Ptacek said.

Despite their placing the device around Ptacek's mothers' neck and, he says, others in the facility, they would later discredit his tests, saying the device wouldn't work without being attached to a body.

For Ptacek, it doesn't add up and doesn't explain other problems.

"Not only was the fall detector not working but the call button never worked. This system never worked at all, and I wasn't the only one. Mom's care workers also tried to get help in the room when they needed an extra hand. No one responded," Ptacek said.

CBS Colorado asked officials at Modena if the technology is working as intended.

They wouldn't talk about any specific patient, but Dreifuss and Phil Lord, the Vice President of Operations for Solera Senior Living, said they had experienced no issues.

"You know, they work exactly as, you know, we see fit," Lord said.

CBS News Colorado was also told that staff gets immediate updates of any issues.

"We can see and make sure that they are all turned on and working as detected," Dreifuss added.

CBS Colorado asked for a follow-up interview to address discrepancies in the answers to questions and Ptacek's recordings and got a written statement that says in part:

"We are highly confident in the many technological tools and resources that our outstanding team uses on a daily basis to provide an exceptional continuum of care for our residents."

"I like to believe that it's possible that it could work, but I sure don't (believe) now," Ptacek said.

He knows that families everywhere are likely getting the same sales pitch and wants others to be armed with information should they ever need it.

"Overreact, because now I know I didn't do enough soon enough," Ptacek said holding back tears.

A few weeks into the new living arrangement, CBS Colorado returned to Ptacek's home. His once-fragile mother was now out of bed, talking, moving and safe.

"I think it's going to work out but it's sure going to be uncomfortable as we get there," he said.

In a statement, Carepredict, the manufacturer of the device, told CBS Colorado in part its fall detection is in line with current industry capabilities and that as sensors improve, fall detection will improve industry-wide.

Patcek has made several complaints to the state and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says they launched an investigation into falls at the facility in August. That investigation is ongoing.