ASHEBORO N.C. – Family members are mourning the loss of a loved one after she was found deceased in the snow Saturday morning outside of Northpointe Assisted Living Facility in Asheboro.
On the morning of Saturday January 29th 2022, a winter storm dropped 1-2” of snow across Randolph County and plunged temperatures into the teens. At around 07:00 am, a worker at Northpointe Assisted Living Facility on Pineview Rd in Randleman called 911 after finding 89-year-old Thelma Lorraine Armstrong Wray collapsed on the ground outside. She had no pulse and was not breathing. Randolph County EMS would pronounce her deceased at the scene.
“This isn’t the 1st time a resident has been found outside….but the first that’s ended up in death” said Uve Robbinson, a family member who spoke with a reporter on Saturday. “No one knows how long she’d been outside, there was at least a 1/2” to 1” of snow found on her walker.”
Robbinson said her mother was beginning to show some cognitive impairment but the staff at the facility were aware and she was working on getting her transferred another facility with a memory care unit.
Officers with the Asheboro Police Department responded to investigate and in an email said that they determined the resident left the facility sometime around 6:00 AM and collapsed outside. They have ruled the death as a “medical issue” and said they determined it was “not suspicious”. A report was completed for documentation.
This incident is not the first time the Asheboro elder care facility has been in the hot seat. In February of 2020 a resident had to be airlifted after accidentally setting themselves on fire while trying to lite a cigarette.
The NC Division of Health Service Regulation, Adult Care Licensure Section licenses, monitors, and inspects adult care facilities. According to records North Point Assisted Living Facility in Asheboro is rated at 2 out of a possible 4 stars. The facility has received 6 “Statements of Deficiency” since 2016 for various fire safety violations, having to many residents, and or failing to assure referral and follow-up, to meet the routine and acute health care needs of residents.
Uve Robbinson says she wants to share what happened in hopes that no family ever has to go thru what she’s going through right now. “I know things happen and some things are out of [the] facilities control, but the facility is still responsible for those residents regardless of their conditions.”
North Point is run by Victorian Senior Care which operates a total of 12 facilities and has a corporate office in Randleman. We reached out to Victorian Senior Care by email but have not yet heard back. We will update this story if the respond or issue a statement.
Note from the Editor – North Point Assisted Living Facility was recently inspected on Jan 12th of this year, in which it received a 3 star rating. While the inspection was completed on Jan 12th, it was not posted to the state’s website until shortly after this article was published. At the time this article was written the last inspection shown on the state site was 2 star.