Iowa Alzheimer’s care facility is fined $10,000 after pronouncing a living woman dead

The signal for Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Particular Care Middle is seen on Google Earth. The ability pronounced a residing girl lifeless and is being fined $10,000.

Google Earth/Screenshot by NPR

In early January, an Alzheimer’s care facility in Iowa pronounced certainly one of its residents lifeless. However when funeral dwelling employees unzipped her physique bag, she was in actual fact alive — and gasping for air, based on a quotation from the Iowa Division of Inspections and Appeals.

The 66-year-old girl, who was’t named within the report, was admitted to the Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Particular Care Middle in Urbandale, Iowa, in December 2021. She had diagnoses together with finish stage early-onset dementia, anxiousness and despair, based on the doc.

She went into hospice care at Glen Oaks on Dec. 28, 2022, with “senile degeneration of the mind” and was administered lorazepam and morphine for consolation, the report says.

At 6 a.m. on Jan. 3, a nurse was unable to search out the resident’s pulse, and she or he did not seem like respiration, based on the report. The nurse notified the household and hospice nurse, who in flip notified the funeral dwelling. One other nurse and the funeral director, who arrived to choose up the affected person round 7:38 a.m., additionally reported no indicators of life.

About 45 minutes later, funeral dwelling employees unzipped the bag and located the affected person’s “chest shifting and she or he gasped for air. The funeral dwelling then referred to as 911 and hospice,” the doc says.

Emergency responders discovered the lady respiration however unresponsive. The affected person was transferred to the emergency room for additional analysis, then returned to Glen Oaks for continued hospice care.

The affected person died early within the morning on Jan. 5 “with hospice and her household at her aspect,” the doc says.

Based mostly on interviews and data, the report discovered that Glen Oaks “failed to supply satisfactory course to make sure acceptable cares and providers have been offered” and “failed to make sure residents acquired dignified therapy and care at finish of life.” The ability is now dealing with a $10,000 nice.

Glen Oaks didn’t instantly reply to an NPR request for remark.