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Marjorie Tingley’s sons say Vista Grande Villa pressured them to approve antipsychotic medication and retaliated against their objections by sending their mother to the emergency room and seeking her eviction. The facility denies the allegations, and a trial on remaining claims is scheduled for early next year if mediation fails. Tingley died at another facility in January 2025.
Marjorie Tingley’s five sons are suing a Michigan memory care facility, alleging it pushed to medicate their mother for dementia-related aggression and retaliated against their objections by sending her repeatedly to the emergency room and moving to evict her. Vista Grande Villa denies the allegations; Tingley died at another facility in January 2025, and a trial on the remaining claims is scheduled for early next year if mediation fails.
Vista Grande contacted the family urgently in December 2024, saying Tingley, then 85, posed a major safety threat. Facility behavior logs described at least 10 days in the previous month when she hit, kicked or elbowed aides who were helping her change briefs, dress, bathe or use the bathroom. The facility sought the family’s permission to sedate her, according to KFF Health News’ account of the records.
The dispute continued into the new year. As the family alternately agreed to and resisted medication, facility administrators called 911 after altercations, according to ambulance and police dispatch records. Hospital records show that Tingley was taken to an emergency room eight times. After four trips, Vista Grande issued a 30-day eviction notice; she was sent to the hospital four more times while her family arranged another placement.
The sons’ lawsuit accuses Vista Grande and its director at the time of negligence, emotional distress and wrongful eviction. It also alleges that the facility initiated emergency room trips in retaliation for disagreements over her care. A Michigan Circuit Court judge dismissed the negligence claim on legal grounds. The facility and director deny the allegations. In a legal filing, Vista Grande described the proposed drugs as “routine medication” and said it sent Tingley to hospital because her family would not allow her to be treated on site.
Medication Disputes Can Threaten Placement
The case reflects a difficult care decision facing families when dementia leads to behavior that puts residents or staff at risk. Antipsychotic drugs can carry serious risks for older people, while facilities must also respond to episodes of aggression and maintain safety. Families who question medication may feel they have to choose between accepting treatment and risking a loved one’s place in care.
The scale of medication use adds to the stakes. More than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries have a dementia diagnosis. A JAMA study estimated that one in four Medicare beneficiaries with dementia may be inappropriately prescribed antipsychotics or other brain-altering medications, which can contribute to delirium, falls and hospitalizations. That estimate concerns potentially inappropriate prescribing across this group; it does not establish whether Tingley’s proposed treatment was appropriate.
Federal Efforts to Curb Overuse
Dementia can damage brain systems involved in impulse control and perception. People may react aggressively when they are frightened, do not recognize caregivers, or cannot communicate pain, hunger or another need. Such incidents can put workers and other residents at risk, including in memory care units designed for people with cognitive impairment.
Antipsychotics are approved by the Food and Drug Administration primarily to treat schizophrenia. The FDA requires warnings that the drugs increase the risk of death in older people with Alzheimer’s disease and similar conditions. In 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the Partnership to Improve Dementia Care to reduce overprescribing. The campaign has helped lower use, but KFF Health News reported that antipsychotics were still given to one in seven nursing home residents in 2025, excluding residents with schizophrenia.
Earlier this year, Vista Grande, formerly a nonprofit, became a wholly owned subsidiary of Otterbein SeniorLife and was renamed Otterbein Jackson SeniorLife Community. Otterbein is not named in the lawsuit. Its representatives did not respond to KFF Health News’ request for comment.
““They just wanted to have her drugged up.””
— David Tingley, Marjorie Tingley’s son
Disputed Reasons for Hospital Trips
The available records and court filings do not resolve whether Vista Grande sent Tingley to the emergency room in response to immediate care needs, as it says, or to retaliate against her family, as the lawsuit alleges. The case materials described by KFF Health News also do not establish whether the proposed medication would have been clinically appropriate or how it might have affected Tingley.
Tingley’s cause of death was plaque buildup in her brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the report. The report does not link her death to the medication dispute or to the emergency room visits. The negligence claim has been dismissed, while the remaining claims have not been resolved.
Mediation Before a Possible Trial
The remaining claims are scheduled for trial early next year if mediation does not settle the dispute. The outcome could clarify how a court assesses the facility’s decisions and the family’s allegations, though the negligence claim will not be part of that trial. Vista Grande and its former director deny the claims; their attorneys and the director did not respond to KFF Health News’ requests for comment.
Key Questions
What does Marjorie Tingley’s family allege?
Her sons allege that Vista Grande Villa pressured them to approve medication and retaliated against their objections by sending Tingley to the emergency room and issuing an eviction notice. The facility denies the allegations.
How many times was Tingley taken to the emergency room?
Medical records cited by KFF Health News show that Tingley was taken to an emergency room eight times after incidents involving aggressive behavior at the facility.
What did Vista Grande say about the hospital visits?
In a legal filing, Vista Grande said it sent Tingley to the hospital because her family refused to let her be treated on site. The family’s lawsuit alleges the visits were retaliatory.
What is the status of the lawsuit?
A judge dismissed the negligence claim on legal grounds. A trial on the remaining claims is scheduled for early next year if mediation fails.
Why are antipsychotic drugs a concern in dementia care?
The FDA requires warnings that antipsychotics increase the risk of death in older people with Alzheimer’s and similar diseases. A JAMA study estimated that one in four Medicare beneficiaries with dementia may be inappropriately prescribed antipsychotics or other brain-altering drugs.
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