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The sons of Marjorie Tingley, who had Alzheimer’s disease, disputed a Michigan memory care facility’s requests to give her antipsychotic medication after staff logged repeated assaults during personal care. Tingley was taken to the emergency room eight times before her death at another facility in January 2025; her family’s lawsuit alleges negligence, wrongful eviction and retaliatory hospital trips, allegations the facility denies.
Marjorie Tingley’s sons fought a Michigan memory care facility’s requests to give their mother antipsychotic drugs after staff recorded repeated episodes in which she struck aides during personal care, according to facility logs described by KFF Health News. Tingley was taken to the emergency room eight times and later died at another facility; her family’s lawsuit alleges the facility used hospital trips in retaliation for disagreements over her care, a claim the facility denies.
In December 2024, Vista Grande Villa told Tingley’s sons that their 85-year-old mother posed a serious safety risk. Its behavior logs recorded that on at least 10 days in the prior month she had hit, kicked or elbowed aides who were helping her change briefs, dress, bathe or use the bathroom. The facility asked the family to approve medication to calm her, according to KFF Health News’ account of the records.
The family alternately agreed to and resisted the facility’s requests. Ambulance and police dispatch records, along with hospital records, show that Tingley was taken to the emergency room eight times after incidents at the facility. After four trips, Vista Grande issued a 30-day eviction notice; records show she was sent to the hospital four more times while her family sought another placement. She died at a different facility in January 2025. Her cause of death was plaque buildup in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
Her five sons sued Vista Grande and its director at the time, alleging negligence, emotional distress and wrongful eviction. They also allege the facility sent Tingley to the hospital in retaliation for their disagreements about treatment. Vista Grande and the director deny the allegations. The facility said in a legal filing that the recommended drugs were “routine medication” and that it sent Tingley to the hospital because her family would not allow her to be treated on site. A judge dismissed the negligence claim on legal grounds; other claims may go to trial if mediation fails.
Medication Disputes Can Threaten Placement
The case shows the difficult choices families can face when dementia-related behavior creates safety concerns in long-term care. Antipsychotic drugs can carry serious risks: the Food and Drug Administration requires warnings that they increase the chance of death among older people with Alzheimer’s disease and similar conditions. Other brain-altering medications can also cause delirium, falls and hospitalizations, according to the source report.
Families may weigh those risks against the immediate needs of a resident and other people in the facility. The report describes families who worry that refusing medication could put a loved one’s placement at risk. The lawsuit’s outcome could help clarify the parties’ legal responsibilities in this particular dispute, but it does not establish that the facility acted improperly.
Federal Effort to Curb Prescribing
Dementia can damage brain systems involved in impulse control and perception. A person may react aggressively out of fear, particularly if caregivers are no longer familiar, or may be unable to communicate pain, hunger or another unmet need. Incidents can put residents and care workers at risk in memory care settings as well as in private homes.
The federal government has worked to reduce inappropriate use of antipsychotics in long-term care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched its Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in 2012. The source report says the campaign has helped reduce antipsychotic use in nursing homes. Excluding residents with schizophrenia, antipsychotics were given to one in seven nursing home residents in 2025.
A JAMA study estimated that one in four Medicare beneficiaries with dementia may be prescribed antipsychotics or other brain-altering medications in potentially inappropriate ways. The report says more than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries have a dementia diagnosis. These figures describe broader prescribing concerns; they do not establish what medication Tingley received or whether any prescription in her case was inappropriate.
““They just wanted to have her drugged up.””
— David Tingley, one of Marjorie Tingley’s sons
Lawsuit Claims Remain Disputed
The allegations have not been established in court. Vista Grande and its former director deny the family’s claims, and the facility says the hospital trips followed the family’s refusal to allow on-site treatment. The judge dismissed the negligence claim on legal grounds, but the remaining claims have not been resolved.
The source report does not specify which drugs Tingley was prescribed, whether she took them, or what treatment she received during each hospital visit. It is also unclear whether mediation will settle the case or whether a trial will proceed. Otterbein SeniorLife, which later became the parent organization of the renamed community, is not named in the lawsuit.
Mediation Could Precede Trial
The lawsuit is scheduled for trial in early 2026 if mediation does not resolve the remaining claims. The case’s next steps depend on whether the parties reach an agreement and on court proceedings. Vista Grande Villa became a wholly owned subsidiary of Otterbein SeniorLife earlier in 2025 and was renamed Otterbein Jackson SeniorLife Community. Otterbein is not a defendant in the suit.
Key Questions
Why did Vista Grande Villa ask to medicate Marjorie Tingley?
The facility told her sons she posed a safety risk after logs recorded that she struck aides during personal care on at least 10 days in one month. It requested permission to use medication to calm her, according to KFF Health News.
What does the family’s lawsuit allege?
The family alleges negligence, emotional distress and wrongful eviction. It also claims the facility arranged emergency room trips in retaliation for disagreements over Tingley’s care. Vista Grande and its former director deny the allegations.
Did a court find the facility responsible?
No. A judge dismissed the negligence claim on legal grounds. The other claims remain unresolved and may go to trial if mediation fails.
What are the risks of antipsychotic drugs for older people with dementia?
The FDA requires drug companies to warn that antipsychotics increase the chance of death in older people with Alzheimer’s disease and similar conditions. The source report also says brain-altering medications can cause delirium, falls and hospitalizations.
Source: rss
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