An Iowa Alzheimer’s care center was fined $10,000 after declaring a living patient dead, according to Iowa’s State Department of Health.
Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Center staff members declared a 66-year-old woman dead and the woman was transported to a funeral home.
According to the Iowa Inspection and Appeals Department, when funeral home staffers opened the body bag, they saw that the woman was alive and gasping for air.
A report by the Health Department shows that the woman was admitted to the Care Center in December 2021 with depression, early-onset dementia, and anxiety. In December 2022, she started hospice care, was diagnosed with advanced brain degeneration, and was treated with lorazepam, an anxiety medication, and morphine, a powerful painkiller.
When funeral home workers unzipped the body bag, they noticed a movement in her chest and witnessed her gasping for air. They immediately called the care center and 911.
The woman was quickly transported to a nearby hospital with shallow breathing and a very low temperature.
Authorities noted that she had a “Do Not Resuscitate” directive. The woman was taken back to the Care Center, where she died two days later.
Iowa’s Department of Health slapped a $10,000 fine for two violations, including failure to preserve residents’ dignity.
Based on the nurse’s report, the woman appeared calm and comfortable in December but at the beginning of the new year she refused to come out of her room and eat. In January, the nurse noted the woman’s temperature had significantly declined and that she would not speak or respond or even open her eyes.
The woman also reportedly suffered minor seizures.
A staffer later reported not feeling a pulse in the resident, who was also not breathing. A licensed nurse assessed her condition and declared her dead.
She called the patient’s family, and another nurse called the funeral home.
A funeral home staffer got to the Care Center about an hour and a half later, put the woman in a body bag, and transported her to the funeral home. About an hour later, staffers unzipped the bag and saw her gasping for air.
Lisa Eastman, the Care Center’s executive director, said that the facility cares for its residents and all their employees get regular training on providing end-of-life care.
In a similar case, on February 4, staffers at a Port Jefferson nursing home on Long Island, New York declared an 82-year-old woman dead, only for her to be found breathing again three hours later.
