Missing man with dementia found dead in Cedar Hills yard
UPDATE: Mr. Brant Koller was found deceased in the back yard of a Cedar Mills home on Thursday, according to the Washington Conty Sheriff's Office. No other details were released but deputies said his death was not suspicious.
CEDAR HILLS, Ore. - The Washington County Sheriff's Office is asking the public for help in finding a missing man with severe dementia.
Brant William Koller, 69, walked away from a care facility on SW Roxbury Avenue in the Cedar Hills area of Beaverton Tuesday at around 3 p.m., deputies said. A search of the area was unsuccessful.
Koller should be easy to spot. He is 6 foot 5 inches tall and 210 pounds, has gray hair and wears glasses. Deputies said he was last seen wearing a purple turtleneck, blue denim overalls, and black shoes. He was not dressed for the cold weather expected overnight.
Koller is not able to speak due to severe dementia and may not respond to his name.
"We've searched most of the roadways pretty good," Sgt. Steve Schuster with Washington County Search and Rescue said. He said searchers would go back over areas already searched to make sure they did not miss anything.
Deputies said TriMet was notified early in the search along with area hospitals to be on the lookout for Koller. A phone notification was sent out over a five mile radius around Koller's home.
The Sheriff's Office is asking the public to call 9-1-1 if you know Koller's current location or call their non emergency number, 503-629-0111, if you saw him in the last day or so.
Also, wanted to note:Â
If we "allow" the client to leave the home (meaning we do not restrain them) and they are found unsafe, WE GET A COMPLAINT ON OUR RECORD. Â
If we "restrain" the client to prevent them from leaving the home and they are "safe", WE GET A COMPLAINT ON OUR RECORD. Â (and the complaint sounds like we hog-tied them, bound them up like in a prison)
No matter what we do it is not right...
The only option would be to allow facilities like this to have a more secure setting. Â Trust me, we would all love that as it would prevent something horrible like this from happening. Â
Adult Foster Care Homes are not "locked" facilities, like a Memory Care Unit. Â We do everything we can to prevent clients from fleeing the home. Â There is usually only one person on shift, and that person CAN NOT leave the other clients alone to go search for someone who left. Â The only option is to contact the police. Â If this gentleman did not wander previously or was not a flight risk before this event, these things are hard to foresee. Â
Also, if he is on Medicaid, NO MEMORY CARE UNIT WOULD TAKE HIM BECAUSE THEY HAVE A 2 YEAR WAIT LIST. Â If he was Private Pay, he would have no trouble getting into a "Memory Care Unit" with better security so long as his money will last for 18-24 months (that is their stipulation for admittance). Â
Senior care is almost as bad a mental health care these days:)
Thoughts and prayers go out to the family and the care providers, who spend their entire lives (and LIVE WITH) these people. Â
How sad...and how sad that this article is so hard to find now. I guess old people just don't matter. :(
 @Dava It's probably hard to find because he was already found, and therefore the article is no longer as relevant. It wasn't a happy ending, unfortunately :(
 @BG1980 I understand that, and that is what I'm saying...... if it was a young person found dead, it would have stayed on top of the list.Â
Kinda reminds me of Hank Hill.
Â
Glad he was found safe!
From the location it sounds like it was a foster home, not a facility. They aren't usually secure and perhaps this is the first time he has walked off. I sure hope they find him soon.
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 @Dr. Rawdog He's 6'5", 210lbs....virtually impossible to see, right?  =)
An interesting short animation, kinda dealing with people in this situation ! Great Shakespeare quote at the beginning !
Â
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y6Hz-IDJw0
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 @Mike Smith Careful there buddy -- that could take out of your cushy PERS fund.  You ARE Fishbait, right? Â
I hope he's found in good shape. He and his family shouldn't have to go through this.
Lots of people seem to "wander off" from these care facilities. I'm not saying they need to turn them into Prisons, but how about some sort of security to protect people from endangering themselves?
 @Pointblank It's hard to understand how it happens, I agree. Dedicated Memory Care facilities will all have security devices on doors that make them inaccessible to residents.
 @medborgare From what I've seen, the level of security in these buildings can vary, though generally, there's a central door that they have to go through, which requires passing the registration desk. I'm thinking it may be possible that he walked past the registration desk, and whoever was there went to stop him but without success. Or, in the case of my grandfather 20+ years ago, he'd try hopping the fence in the courtyard, with a modest level of success.
 @medborgare I agree, after a multiple fence hopping escape from my grandfather, he ended up dying as a result of complications from skull fractures from an attempted escape. I absolutely believe that there should be more preventative measures to provide wanderers, but it would be a fine balance to avoid escaping but also not having the facility feel like a jail.
 @pdxd I have spent plenty of time visiting these facilities, having a mom with Alzheimer's. Fortunately she's not a wanderer. Security is one of the biggest priorities for families looking for good care for their loved ones, and it is well known that dementia patients often try to "escape". It's simply not acceptable for folks to "slip by" a desk or door, and make it to the outside.
 @medborgare  @Pointblank They do have codes that have to be used to open the doors, but sometimes other family members don't pay attention to see who just came out behind them. people with Dementia are ALWAYS trying to "sneak out". Sometimes they get it in their head that they are being held against their well, and that they need to get home to their little ones or wife. Some of the men will make it their daily routine to watch the door to escape.Â
 @Pointblank  @Dava I think shackles are the answer.. Just a thought ;)
 @Pointblank some places do have them. They're expensive. Plus you have to factor in that  they have to be replaces due to residents breaking them. telling a family member that their loved one broke their glasses or hearing aid is already a pain.
There is actually some really neat technology out there that is even better than that. There is one that family members can log in to a system that will show them where in the building their loved one is. Also admins can have a screen on at all times. It does a lot more than that as well. The caregivers have to punch in every time they give care. That to will show up on the screen for Admins and family members.Â
 @Dava Maybe with the more severe cases some sort of an ankle monitor should be used. Anything to keep these unfortunate folks from getting into harms way.
Must be extremely scary for him, hope he is found soon.
 @jasmin10 And how in the world was he allowed to wander off?  I hope he is found safe soon.