Occurrence Reports: What Colorado Springs Assisted Living Residences Tell the State

What an occurrence report is

An occurrence report is the facility's own notice to the state that a reportable event happened: a resident missing, an injury of unknown origin, an allegation of abuse or neglect, medications diverted, and similar events. CDPHE reviews each one and decides whether to investigate on site.

A report is not a finding. A residence that reports carefully can show more reports than one that does not, so a long list can reflect diligence as much as trouble.

What the recent reports in our region say

Counts of the most recent occurrence entries shown on each senior ALR's CDPHE record. Source: CDPHE Health Facilities data updated September 29, 2026 and Find and Compare records retrieved November 6, 2026.

These are the latest few entries per residence, not every report ever filed, but they show what kinds of events dominate.

Questions the reports should prompt

Missing-person reports matter most in buildings that serve people with dementia. Ask whether the person left a secure area or an open building, how long they were gone, and what the residence changed: door alarms, staffing at shift change, or a move to a secure unit.

Abuse allegations need a direct conversation. Ask whether the allegation involved staff, another resident or a visitor, whether it was substantiated, and what training followed. Diverted drug reports usually involve controlled medications going missing; ask how medications are counted and who has keys.

Putting reports beside inspections

Read occurrence reports together with the inspection list on each facility page. A complaint investigation that follows a cluster of reports suggests the state looked closely; clean revisits afterward are reassuring. Then ask the long-term care ombudsman at the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging, (719) 471-2096, what they hear about the building.

How occurrence reports differ between small homes and large communities

A large community with more than a hundred residents will usually file more reports than an eight-bed home simply because more people live there and more staff are trained to report. Compare reports to licensed beds, and look at the mix of types. Falls with injury and medication problems are common across the board; repeated missing-person reports are a more specific signal, especially where the residence serves people with dementia.

Small homes that file no reports for years are not automatically better. Ask the owner how they decide what must be reported and how quickly they tell families. The best answer names the events, the timeline and who calls whom.

Using reports during a tour

Bring the residence's facility page with you. If the most recent report was a missing person, ask what door or staffing change followed. If it was an injury of unknown origin, ask how the residence investigates bruises and falls that no one saw. If it was diverted drugs, ask how controlled medications are stored, counted and logged at each shift change.

Listen for specifics. A director who can explain what happened, what the residence learned and what it changed is telling you something good about how the building is run. Vague answers, or surprise that the report is public, tell you something too.

What families can do after an incident

If your parent is involved in an event that should be reported, such as a fall with injury, a missing-person episode or an allegation of mistreatment, ask the residence whether it reported the occurrence to CDPHE and when. Ask for a written account of what happened and what the residence changed. If you are not satisfied, call CDPHE's assisted living complaint line at 303-691-4045 or the Pikes Peak ombudsman at (719) 471-2096.

Keep notes and photographs, and ask your parent's doctor to examine any injury. If you suspect a crime, call the police; Colorado also makes many professionals mandatory reporters of abuse of people 70 and older.