US Care Home Fined Rs 8.2 Lakh After Dead Woman Wakes Up In Funeral Home

In the United States of America, a care home was fined a hefty amount of approximately Rs. 8.2 lakhs for declaring a woman dead when she was still alive. The incident came to light when the supposedly dead woman was found breathing in the body bag in funeral home.

The staff of Urbandale's Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Centre declared a 66-year-old woman dead on January 3 and sent her dead body for burial at Ankeny Funeral Home and Crematory. After the woman was placed in the body bag, the staff of the funeral home found out that the 'dead woman' was breathing and called 911 for help. The woman was taken to Mercy West Lakes Hospital where she was declared unresponsive but breathing.

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Dead Woman Wakes Up In Funeral Home

The 66-year-old woman was suffering from anxiety, early-onset dementia and depression and was being taken care of since December 28 at the Glen Oaks care centre. On January 3 morning, a staff member of the centre who was on a 12-hour shift informed the nurse practitioner who had attended to her all night about the woman's condition. The nurse practitioner couldn't detect the pulse and declared that she wasn't breathing. She examined the woman for five minutes before declaring her dead at 6:30 am on January 3.

The initial reports declare that during the entire time that the woman's body was transferred to a body bag and sent to funeral home, no sign of life was found in the woman. After being found breathing, the 66-year-old's body was sent back to the hospital and on January 5, the woman passed away. The matter is being investigated by the Ankeny police department and reportedly no criminal charges are being pursued by the police.

Lisa Eastman, the care centre's executive director, has reportedly said, "All of our staff members receive frequent training on how to support our residents’ end-of-life care and death transition".