Friends and co-workers of the late caregiver Barbara “Bobbie” Kolada expressed frustration this week at the seeming lack of any concrete action following her death earlier this year in a Medford group home.

Jackson County District Attorney Beth Heckert’s office released a statement this week announcing that charges would not be filed against the disabled man who “likely” caused the Feb. 20 injuries that led to Kolada’s death March 27.

Deputy District Attorney Benjamin Lull said there was a lack of evidence at the scene, which had been cleaned up before authorities learned Kolada’s injuries were likely caused by a resident in the group home where she worked.

Kolada’s injuries were reported as a medical incident and not an attack, and by the time police learned about the circumstances weeks later, it was too late to gather physical evidence, investigators said. In addition, the suspect’s mental deficiencies and nonverbal status made it unlikely the case could proceed. 

Kolada was the focus of a five-part series by the Rogue Valley Times in May. The 66-year-old grandmother provided care for two developmentally disabled men in an east Medford group home run by Partnerships in Community Living. She was working alone when she was apparently attacked by one of the men, who, according to friends and family of Kolada, had attacked her and other caregivers several times before.

According to reports of the incident, and witnesses who spoke to Kolada at the hospital, the man, who towered over Kolada and weighed close to 300 pounds, became angry when Kolada was unable to connect his computer to Wi-Fi.

Kolada told family members that the last thing she remembered was seeing the man walk up behind her. A shift change worker found Kolada bleeding from a head wound in a bathroom and unable to move due to a broken neck and several shattered cervical vertebrae.

Pools of blood were found in a living room on the other side of the house. It is believed she was injured up to three hours before she was discovered. Her cause of death was listed as a brain bleed.

Asked if a more secure setting would be required for the client believed to have injured Kolada, Joanne Fuhrman, CEO for Partnerships in Community Living, said in a written statement, “After any incident, including this one, we always review what happened and what can be done to improve our internal processes, including providing additional employee training, and updating individual support plans if needed.”

Jacksonville resident Valina Rivera-Schaefer, a former PCL employee who was hospitalized for several injuries, including a miscarriage, during her time with PCL, said the company “should take responsibility for leaving Bobbie alone” with a man who had attacked her before.

Rivera-Schaefer said she didn’t expect the developmentally disabled man to face criminal charges, but she believed that the district attorney should have sought civil commitment or placement in a more secure facility.

“I don’t know what it’s supposed to take. It’s unbelievable, the staffing ratios. The fact that, across the care industry, caregivers are being hurt and it’s just being swept under the rug,” she said.

Earlier this week, a caregiver in Gresham who worked at a group home for residents with mental and behavioral health issues was stabbed to death by a resident. Like Kolada, the caregiver, Haley Rogers, was working alone when she was attacked.

“I’m worried for future staff,” Rivera-Schaefer said. “My biggest worry is these things continue to happen and nothing is going to change. The training and the rate of pay compared to the level of risk is ridiculous. They’ve doubled their advertisements to recruit (caregivers). They’re paying $17.50 an hour … to come risk your life.”

Grants Pass resident Liana Duffield, a former human resources manager for PCL who said she also was attacked while working in PCL group homes, said news of the killing in Gresham felt like “losing Bobbie all over again.”

Rogers worked the night shift in a home with up to 10 adult men. Duffield said she felt that speaking out about her experiences with PCL had “landed on deaf ears.”

“It happened exactly the same way. She was alone and shouldn’t have been. … It just keeps happening again and again. And this is not just an Oregon issue. It’s an across-the-United-States issue,” Duffield said.

“We have an underfunded system where they can’t find enough people to do the job. The ones who do the job are underpaid. Then, you have clients who can be active and violent and possibly kill someone. I feel so sad for Bobbie’s daughter. Her mom was killed. And nothing was done about it.”

Medford resident Brittney Allen, who worked with Kolada, remembered lack of adequate staffing and employee injuries.

“When I first worked there, they were supposed to have two people there at all times, because of his behaviors. When I left, they were putting just me there, alone. I knew another girl who, her first week there, they left her by herself, and she had bruises all over her from him biting her and hitting her,” Allen said.

“I worked with Bobbie every time I worked. She would give me lots of pointers on what to do and what not to do. Bobbie was extremely good with him, and she was really a sweetheart, so it’s really heartbreaking to know this happened to her. She worked so hard. She would even come in when they were short-staffed. Them being such a big company, you’d think they could have a little more respect for their employees.”

Grants Pass resident Callie Cavener, a former PCL employee, said she would hold out hope that Kolada hadn’t died in vain. Cavener recalled being afraid for her safety, while pregnant with her now 2-year-old son, during shifts for PCL.

“It blows my mind that somebody literally died and nothing is being done to PCL,” Cavener said.

“I always looked forward to going to work with Bobbie. She was the kindest person I ever met. For her to be gone in the blink of an eye … makes me so sad and so angry. And for her to be taken from her family like that. I’m devastated for her daughter. Her mother died in a very tragic, violent way.

“I’m flabbergasted that it doesn’t feel like anything is going to change. Who’s going to be next to die?”