Family questions Oakmont Senior Living's statement that all 430 residents are 'settling into new living arrangements'
NAPA, Calif. (KGO) -- A Menlo Park family is questioning Oakmont Senior Living's claim that all its residents are settling into new living arrangements following the early morning Santa Rosa fires two weeks ago today.
RELATED: Attorney says understaffing at Oakmont Senior Living may have played a role in evacuation
The Minson family got in touch with ABC7 News Friday night to say it looked like Bess Budow might not make it. She is better, but still in the hospital. Her family says she is not "settling into new living arrangements" as Oakmont Senior Living has said of all its 430 residents.
In video her family took at her hospital bedside today, Budow says, "I love you so much also, that's all we have is each other."
92-year-old Budow is in a hospital following the evacuation from Villa Capri two weeks ago before the assisted living facility burned down.
"I did not in my wildest dreams foresee that she would be put through this kind of trauma at this stage of her life," said her daughter Sherry Minson.
Minson says her mom has open wounds on her body, a broken tooth and a broken hip which doctors replaced. She says because her mom is blind, has difficulty hearing and has dementia, she hasn't been able to tell them how she got hurt. She says neither has anyone from Oakmont Senior Living.
"They've never discussed what happened or how she got to be in the condition she was in when we found her," said Minson.
RELATED: Seniors may have been left at burning Oakmont living center
Minson estimates Oakmont Senior Living charged her $10,000 to $11,000 a month for her mother's care.
"My understanding is we were paying for her to have everything done that she needed to be done and it was all right there in black and white," said Minson.
But Minson says she was dissatisfied with the level of care her mother was receiving so she hired a private caregiver to be present 10 hours a day, putting them at close to $20,000 a month total. Minson says it was the private caregiver, not Oakmont Senior Living who initially called her to tell her about the fire and evacuation.
"I'm feeling awful," said Budow in the video taken of her in her hospital bed today.
RELATED: Seniors may have been left at burning Oakmont living center
Oakmont Senior Living says quote, "All 430 of our residents are accounted for, safe, and settling into new living arrangements. Their safety always has been -- and always will be -- our first priority."
"I don't know how they could say that certainly my mom is not settled into a new living situation and because of the condition she's in now it's turning out to be very hard to place her anyplace else," said Minson.
"We know it's not true at least when it comes to my grandmother," said Sarah Minson, Budow's granddaughter.
The family is especially grateful to other residents' families who they believe were instrumental in the evacuation.
"We are so happy they saved her from such a worse fate," said Sarah Minson.
"I want this to never happen again in the future," she continued.
"I am still so glad to have you," says Sherry Minson in the hospital video.
"I am still so glad to have you," echoes Sarah Minson in the hospital video as well.
The Department of Social Services is investigating the evacuation at two of Oakmont Senior Living's four buildings on the Fountaingrove Avenue Property - "Varenna" (also known as the main building) and "Villa Capri." If you have any information you would like DSS to consider in its investigation, you can file a complaint by calling 1-844-LET US NO (538-8766) or by clicking here.
Click here for full coverage of the North Bay fires.
