Key takeaways:
- A woman declared dead at the Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in Urbandale, Iowa was discovered to be alive at a funeral home
- The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has issued a $10,000 fine to the facility
- The facility is conducting an internal investigation to determine how the mistake occurred
A hospice facility in Iowa has been fined $10,000 after a woman declared dead was discovered to be alive at a funeral home.
The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals released a report Wednesday detailing the incident, which occurred on Jan. 3 at the Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in Urbandale.
According to the report, a 66-year-old woman had been admitted to hospice care at the facility on Dec. 28 due to senile degeneration of the brain, early onset dementia, anxiety and depression. At 6 a.m. Jan. 3, a nurse checked on the patient and found no signs of life. The woman was then placed in a zipped body bag and transferred to the Ankeny Funeral Home & Crematory.
However, when workers at the funeral home opened the body bag, they discovered the woman was still alive and called 911. The woman, whose name has not been released, is currently receiving hospice care.
The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has issued a $10,000 fine to the Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Center for the incident. The facility is currently conducting an internal investigation to determine how the mistake occurred.
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