Iowa nursing home fined $10K as woman, 66, wrongly declared dead ‘gasps for air’ in body bag hours later at funeral home
URBANDALE, IOWA: An Iowa nursing home was ordered to pay $10,000 in fines after incorrectly declaring a 66-year-old patient dead and transporting her to a funeral parlor, where she awoke "gasping for air." A new report from the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, released on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, outlines the events that led to the woman being declared dead by mistake.
The unnamed resident, who had been a resident of the Glen Oaks Alzheimer's Special Care Center in Urbandale, Iowa, since December 2021, was placed in hospice care there on December 28, 2022, according to state investigators, due to "senile degeneration of the brain."
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What happened at the Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Center?
Comfort measures were implemented when the woman was receiving hospice care at the Glen Oaks Alzheimer's Special Care Center. Staff members observed instances of "diminished" lung sounds and mild convulsions over a number of days. The woman was pronounced dead at 6 am on January 3, 2023, after an employee, designated as Staff C, reported that she "did not feel a pulse" and discovered the "resident was not breathing at that time." “She felt her neck at the carotid artery and listened to her chest,” read the report. “She did not feel a pulse and the resident was not breathing at that time. She felt the resident had passed away and notified the nurse," as reported by The U.S. Sun.
However, when the occurrence was reported to her, the nurse also informed the detectives that despite using a stethoscope, neither respiration sounds nor a pulse could be detected. A licensed practical nurse was informed by the staff member. A nearby funeral home was contacted, and the woman's relatives were informed.
A funeral director arrived just after 7:30 am, and with the assistance of another nurse, designated as "LPN D," the person was placed in a zipped-up corpse bag. The funeral director promptly exited the facility. Employees at Ankeny Funeral Home and Crematory unzipped the bag at 8:26 am. They "observed (the resident's) chest moving and she gasped for air," according to Dnyuz.
The woman was taken to the hospital by EMTs, who saw that her eyes were locked in place, she had no motor response, and she was mute. After being transferred to the hospital, the woman was eventually brought back to the care home, where she died two days later with her loved ones by her side.
A fine of $10,000
Glen Oaks was penalized $10,000 for two state infractions by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. According to the agency, the facility failed to treat patients with dignity and failed to give them the right care and assistance as they approached the end of their lives.
On Wednesday, February 1, the care facility's executive director, Lisa Eastman, issued a statement about the incident. “We have been in close communication with the family of the resident, and we just completed an investigation by the Department of Inspections and Appeals regarding the matter. She continued, “We care deeply for our residents and remain fully committed to supporting their end-of-life care. All employees undergo regular training so they can best support end-of-life care and the death of our residents.”
