Bellingham senior living facility part of $7 million settlement
Bonaventure Senior Living has agreed to pay $7 million to improve its services and $250 to 800 residents following a consumer protection investigation. Bonaventure operates 15 facilities in Washington. Ten of them, including one in Bellingham, were part of the settlement.
An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General found that between 2019 and 2024, Bonaventure failed to provide vital services to residents, including medication assistance, housekeeping, maintenance, dining and infection. The office said this likely violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act.
“Families entrusted their loved ones to these facilities and expected safe, clean, and conscientious care. Sadly, for many of them, that’s not what they got,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said in a press release on Wednesday. “Enforcing our consumer protection laws to protect vulnerable people from inadequate care is a priority for me and our entire office.”
The company did not admit liability, the Office of the Attorney General said, but agreed to provide all the services promised in its contracts and advertising to residents going forward. They also committed to raise wages, hire more staff and a quality assurance team, and add a health and wellness director for each of the Washington facilities where Bonaventure provides both assisted living and memory care services.
Patricia Hunter, Washington State Long-Term Care ombuds, said Friday that when the rights of people in licensed care homes are violated, “we want to resolve issues at the lowest level.”
“But when that doesn’t work,” she added, “it’s reassuring to have an Attorney General who cares about older adults and people living with disabilities dependent on others while holding corporations accountable.”
Bonaventure will pay the Office of the Attorney General $200,000 to use for future consumer protection enforcement.
Anyone who has had a negative experience with a senior living facility can file a complaint with the office online or by calling 800-551-4636.