To the Leadership and Staff of Fahrney-Keedy Memory Care:
My name is Ryan Miner, and until recently, my 92-year-old grandmother, Maureen Hann, was a resident at Fahrney-Keedy Memory Care in Boonsboro, Maryland. My beloved grandmother passed away on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, after spending her final months in your care since late February.
I write this letter not only as her grandson but as someone profoundly troubled by your organization’s response — or rather, complete lack thereof — in the wake of her death.
Two days after we lost my grandmother, my mother placed what should have been a simple call to your nurses’ station, searching for my grandmother’s clothing items that had gone missing from her room, including a specific blouse my mother had chosen for her burial.
This was not merely about retrieving possessions; it was about honoring my grandmother, Maureen, with dignity in her final farewell.
My mother explained the time-sensitive nature of her request, as the clothing needed to be delivered to Rest Haven Funeral Home that same afternoon; she even offered to send photographs to help your staff identify the items quickly. The response my mother received was a promise that someone from Fahrney-Keedy’s laundry department would return her call. That was July 18, 2025.
As I write this, nearly two weeks later, that call has never come.
What disturbs me most is not simply the operational failure to return a phone call; it is the profound absence of basic human compassion during one of the most vulnerable moments a family can experience.
Not a single member of your executive staff has reached out to acknowledge my grandmother’s passing.
No condolences offered.
Not even a phone call.
Fahrney Keedy’s silence in the aftermath of her passing feels so incredibly cold and indecent; your organization has caused our family even more pain in the wake of losing my grandmother.
Your silence has made devastatingly clear that my grandmother’s worth to Fahrney-Keedy ended the moment her daily payments did — as if five months of shared meals, daily interactions, and intimate care amounted to nothing more than a business transaction that concluded with her final breath.
This callous erasure of her existence from your community has compounded our grief immeasurably, forcing us to confront not only the loss of our grandmother but also the painful realization that to those who saw her every day, who knew her routines and preferences, who were the last to witness her life, she apparently meant nothing at all.
Every resident who passes through Fahrney-Keedy’s doors deserves better than to become invisible the moment they leave. Every family that entrusts Fahrney-Keedy with their loved one’s care deserves better than to be forgotten the instant that care ends.
Memory care communities like Fahrney-Keedy hold a unique position of trust in our communities.
You care for individuals who often cannot advocate for themselves, and you become witnesses to the final chapters of their lives. With that privilege comes a responsibility that extends beyond the clinical tasks of daily care. It includes recognizing the humanity of your residents and the grief of the families they leave behind.
The missing clothing items — though still unresolved — have become secondary to a larger concern.
Fahrney-Keedy’s categorical disregard for our family in this time of loss reveals a troubling disconnect between the compassionate care you undoubtedly advertise and market and the reality our family experienced.
I am publishing this letter because I believe other families deserve to know how Fahrney-Keedy responds when the unthinkable happens.
I hope this open letter catalyzes genuine reflection and change within your organization.
Death is an inevitable part of life, particularly in memory care settings; how you handle these moments speaks volumes about your values as an institution.
My grandmother, Maureen Hann, lived a long, beautiful, and fulfilling life. Maureen raised a loving family. She contributed to her community. She deserved to be remembered, if only briefly, by those who cared for her in her final months.
A simple acknowledgment of her passing and our family’s loss would have meant more than you might realize.
To other families considering memory care options: Ask not only about the quality of life your loved one will receive but also about how the facility honors their memory when that life ends. The true measure of a care community may well be found in these moments when care is no longer billable but compassion is still needed.
Our family still awaits the return of my grandmother’s belongings.
More importantly, we await evidence that Fahrney-Keedy Memory Care recognizes the weight of the trust families place in you and the responsibility that comes with caring for our most vulnerable loved ones.
Ryan R. Miner
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Ryan Miner, MBA | Co-Founder and Podcast Host | The Senior Soup
Hi, I'm Ryan!
I co-founded The Senior Soup Soup with Raquel Micit in September 2022. Together, we host The Senior Soup Podcast.
I am a community relations manager for Ennoble Care in Maryland, where I am responsible for marketing our home-based primary care healthcare practice.
I have over 15 years experience in healthcare, senior services, senior care, marketing, public policy, and search engine optimization.
I have a MBA from Mount St. Mary's University and a BA from Duquesne University.