A woman mistakenly pronounced dead at her care home was found to be alive after funeral home staff unzipped her body bag and she “gasped for air.” Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care centre is facing a $10,000 fine for failing to spot one of the patients in their care still had a heartbeat before removing her from the facility to be prepared for her funeral. The woman, 66, died on January 5 surrounded by her family, two days after being returned to Glen Oaks.
A report from the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals found the care home facility staff pronounced the woman dead after days of her health declining.
Staff found the woman with “her mouth was open, her eyes were fixed, and there were no breath sounds” and confirmed she had died.
The woman’s family was informed, and a funeral home in Ankeny, IA was asked to come to collect the body and prepare it for the funeral.
The funeral director arrived at Glen Oaks at 7.38pm on January 8, where a nurse had placed the woman inside a body bag and zipped it shut.
JUST IN: Clinton’s ‘unraveling’ over Lewinsky affair made him ‘lose focus’ on bin Laden before 9/11
But as the funeral home staff unzipped the bag upon its arrival at the facility less than an hour later, they noticed the woman’s chest was moving and “she gasped for air.”
A staff member then proceeded to call 911 and EMS arrived shortly after to check in on the woman.
On a call to dispatch, one of the paramedics said: “Just so you know, this female was transported there deceased, and she is not.
“They are in the chapel, and she is on a cot.”
The Ankeny Fire Department (AFD) said they were initially called in for a woman believed to be in cardiac arrest.
READ MORE: AOC throws raging ‘temper tantrum’ as she slams Omar expulsion from committees
Glen Oaks’ executive director Lisa Eastman said: “We gave been in close communication with the family of the resident, and we just completed an investigation by the Department of Investigation and Appeals regarding the matter.
“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 support end-of-life care and the death of our residents.
The facility faces two state violations totalling $10,000.
If they do not request a formal hearing and pay the penalty, the assess penalty could be reduced by 35 percent.
Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/ExpressUSNews
