An Alzheimer's care facility in Iowa pronounced a 66-year-old woman dead, but funeral home staff unzipped her body bag to find her gasping for air, NPR reported Feb. 4.
The woman was a resident of Urbandale-based Glen Oaks Alzheimer's Special Care Center. She was diagnosed with end stage early-onset dementia, according to an Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals report. She went into hospice care Dec. 28 with "senile degeneration of the brain" and was administered lorazepam and morphine for comfort, the NPR report said.
At 6 a.m. Jan. 3, a nurse was unable to find the woman's pulse and she appeared to not be breathing, according to the report. She was pronounced dead and the funeral home picked up the patient around 7:38 a.m. with reportedly no signs of life.
About 45 minutes later, funeral home staff unzipped the body bag and found the patient's chest moving and she gasped for air. Staff called 911 and hospice. Emergency responders found the woman breathing but unresponsive and transferred her to the emergency room. She was released from the hospital and returned to Glen Oaks for continued hospice care, according to NPR.
The woman died Jan. 5.
The facility is now facing a $10,000 fine for "failure to provide adequate direction to ensure appropriate cares and services were provided" and "failed to ensure residents received dignified treatment and care at end of life."
The facility did not respond to NPR's request for comment.