Care center faces $10,000 fine after pronouncing dead a woman who was later found alive in a body bag

The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals issued a violation notice to an Alzheimer's care facility, pictured, after a 66-year-old woman was pronounced dead and later found alive.

(Credit: KCCI/Broadcastify)

(CNN Spanish) --

An Alzheimer's care center in Iowa faces a $10,000 fine after declaring a woman dead who was later found alive when a funeral director opened the body bag in which she was found. was, according to documents from the state Department of Inspections and Appeals.

The 66-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was admitted to Glen Oaks Alzheimer's Special Care Center in Urbandale on December 20 due to "senile degeneration of the brain," according to the documents.

She was admitted for hospice care on December 28.

On January 3, according to the report, "at 6:00 a.m., Resident #1 had her mouth open, her eyes were fixed, and she was making no breath sounds. [The nurse] was unable to locate Resident #1's apical pulse with his stethoscope. He put his hand on the abdomen of Resident #1 and didn't notice any movement."

According to records, she contacted the family and a funeral home was called.

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 7:38 a.m.

"At approximately 8:26 a.m., funeral home staff opened the bag and observed Resident #1's chest heaving and gasping for air. The funeral home then called 911 and hospice," the report states. state.

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After transferring her to the emergency room, it was found that she was breathing but not reacting.

According to the report, on January 3, she was sent back to hospice.

The center's response

The center reported the incident to the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals on January 4.

According to the documents, he died in Glen Oaks the next day, with his family by his side.

The violation notice issued by the department against the nursing facility states: "Based on interview and review of records, licensee failed to provide proper address to ensure appropriate [care] and services were provided. "

In an email to CNN, the center's executive director, Lisa Eastman, said Glen Oaks has been in "close communication with the resident's family."

"We have just completed a Department of Inspections and Appeals investigation into this matter. We care deeply about our residents and remain fully committed to supporting their end-of-life care," Eastman said.

"All employees receive regular training so they can better support end-of-life care and death for our residents."

In a statement to CNN, the funeral home said: "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 Ankeny Police Department told The Des Moines Register that it will not file criminal charges.