California grandmom, 93, dies after care home serves her dishwashing liquid instead of juice
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA: A dementia patient reportedly died at a senior citizens' home after an employee errantly served her dishwashing liquid instead of juice.
93-year-old Gertrude Elizabeth Murison Maxwell was one of three residents at Atria Park Senior Living Facility in San Mateo when she was rushed to the hospital after drinking the caustic liquid. The employees involved have reportedly been suspended and the home has launched an internal investigation while cooperating with local authorities. Maxwell, who was suffering from dementia, was left with "severe blistering of her mouth and throat and esophagus."
RELATED ARTICLES
'We know she's here': Emmett Till protesters enter senior living facility looking for Carolyn Donham
Maxwell's daughter Marcia Cutchin revealed how her condition meant she was unable to drink on her own and had to be manually fed by her carers. "Many people, like my mother, you have to hold a cup to her mouth and tip it into her mouth," Marcia told KRON-TV. The senior home reportedly told her family that the substance given to her mother was an "alkaline cleaning solution that eats protein.” In a statement to the outlet, the facility confirmed that the employees involved had been suspended as authorities probe the incident.
A 94 year old resident at Atria Park assisted living facility in San Mateo is dead and two others are hospitalized after they were mistakenly served dishwashing liquid instead of juice. San Mateo police are investigating. Atria Park says employees involved have been suspended. pic.twitter.com/nPafn9BGXf
— Marianne Favro (@mariannefavro) August 30, 2022
“We can confirm three of our residents were recently transported to the hospital after mistakenly being served dishwashing liquid as drinking juice. We have been working with local authorities, who have informed us that one resident passed away," Atria told KRON-TV in a statement. "Our sincerest condolences are with the family. When this occurred, our staff immediately contacted authorities, and the residents were transported to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. We are conducting our own internal investigation, and the employees involved have been suspended until this investigation concludes. We will continue working with the police and the Department of Social Services to fully review and assess the incident, after which we will take additional actions as needed."
The statement added, "The safety and well-being of our residents remain our top priorities at all times. Out of respect for the people involved, we cannot comment further.” A source with knowledge told the local NBC affiliate that the toxic liquid could have been confused by the employees for something like grape juice. "There may have been a mistake. A jug of grape juice is what somebody thought they had picked up and poured into glasses, but it was some sort of cleaning fluid."
TOP STORIES
Will Tyler Norris be the next Bachelor? Fans demand dual season with Nate Mitchell
It's worth noting that California has recorded a concerning number of deaths in care homes of late, especially after the Covid pandemic spread rapidly across homes in 2021. At least 9,400 seniors are said to have died from Covid in cases described as "truly appalling." Speaking to California Healthline, the state's Assembly Health Committee Chair Jim Wood said, "The number of covid infections and deaths that happened in skilled nursing facilities in California is truly appalling. I expect better from us." Charlene Harrington, Professor of social and behavioral sciences at the University of California-San Francisco, added, "There are a lot of problems people have complained about for a long time. This [Covid] is an opportunity to correct those problems. Some of these problems that we saw in the pandemic could have been avoided if nursing homes had adequate staffing."
It's unclear if there were pre-existing problems at the Atria Park facility in San Mateo or if the reported death was just a freak accident. However, San Mateo police are hoping to get to the bottom of the case. Maxwell, whose demise has left a void in the grieving family, is survived by eight children and 20 grandchildren.