Funeral Director Shocked to Discover Woman Still Breathing in Body Bag
According to Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals documents, an Iowa Alzheimer’s care facility faces a $10,000 (Ksh.1.26 million) fine for declaring a woman dead who was later discovered alive when a funeral director unzipped her body bag.
The unidentified 66-year-old woman was admitted to the Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Center facility in Urbandale, Iowa, on December 20 due to “senile degeneration of the brain,” according to the documents. On December 28, she was admitted to hospice.
“At 6:00 a.m. on January 3, Resident #1’s mouth was open, her eyes were fixed, and there were no breath sounds,” according to the report. Using her stethoscope, [the nurse] was unable to locate Resident #1’s apical pulse. She put her hand on Resident #1’s abdomen and observed no movement.” According to records, the family was contacted and a funeral home was contacted.
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At 7:38 a.m., both the nurse and the funeral director who arrived from Ankeny Funeral Home and Crematory to pick up the woman reported no signs of life.
“At around 8:26 a.m., funeral home staff unzipped the bag and noticed Resident #1’s chest moving and her gasping for air. “The funeral home then called 911 and hospice,” according to the state report.
She was discovered to be breathing but unresponsive after being taken to a local emergency room for treatment.
According to the report, she was later returned to the hospice on Jan. 3 due to her advanced directives.
On January 4, the facility reported the incident to the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA).
According to the documents, she died the next day at Glen Oaks, surrounded by family.
According to the DIA violation issued to the care facility, “the licensee failed to provide adequate direction to ensure appropriate [care] and services were provided based on interview and record review.”
Glen Oaks has been in “close communication with the family of the deceased,” according to facility executive director Lisa Eastman in an email to CNN.
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“The Department of Inspections and Appeals just finished an investigation into the matter. “We genuinely care about our residents and remain fully committed to assisting with their end-of-life care,” Eastman said.
“All employees receive regular training to ensure that they can best support our residents’ end-of-life care and death.”
“Out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of the families we are honored to serve, we are not in a position to comment further on this matter,” the funeral home said in a statement to CNN.
The Ankeny Police Department told the Des Moines Register that no criminal charges will be filed.
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