A woman living alone dies in her apartment. It goes unnoticed for weeks. Your son sees the responsibility as the institution he cares for and defends itself.
Meppen - After they gradually became worried and heard an increasingly strong smell in the stairwell, two neighbors informed the emergency services. Emergency services gained access to the apartment of an 88-year-old resident of a retirement home in Meppen (Lower Saxony). They found the elderly woman dead on her couch. She had probably been lying there unnoticed for weeks. How could that happen?
Older woman dies in senior apartment - and no one notices for weeks
The woman was probably dead in her senior citizen's apartment for almost five weeks. A neighbor reports
to
Bild
that the TV magazine from January 14th was still open on the coffee table. In the death certificate, this date is used as a reference point for the time of death. This was presumably between January 14th and February 16th. In the facility, the “September House,” it was believed that the lady was in the hospital, the neighbor said in an interview with the tabloid.
The deceased's son, a 68-year-old from Düsseldorf, accuses the facility of failing to fulfill its duty of care. The “Haus September” senior citizens’ facility run by the German Red Cross (DRK) Emsland district association regrets the incident but denies responsibility. When asked by
IPPEN.MEDIA,
they briefly referred to a general statement that had already been made about the incident.
“Of course the incident is very regrettable and our condolences go out to the relatives,” the spokesman said. When the senior citizen moved into one of the 15 senior-friendly apartments around three years ago, according to information from the public prosecutor's office, she took out an extensive care package for the house. However, this was discontinued on December 31, 2023. “There was already an information letter about this a year earlier,” said the DRK spokesman. Meanwhile, there were financial problems in another DRK house in northern Germany.
Senior wanted to “find a new care service for herself”.
Part of the service at that time was 24-hour availability of a caregiver as well as an in-house emergency call system and support when shopping. According to a DRK spokesman, demand for the service was low among residents, which is why it was ultimately ended. Since the beginning of 2024, care services have been able to be booked individually for a fee, but the 88-year-old refused.
“She stated that she was looking for a new nursing service herself,” a spokesman for the Osnabrück public prosecutor’s office told the
Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ)
. The nursing staff responsible to date last had contact with the senior citizen at the beginning of January. According to the public prosecutor's investigation, the senior citizen was considered problematic.
Death in seniors' apartment: Son was worried about his mother
There is also said to have been a tense relationship between the woman and the son, and at times there was even a long period of radio silence. Therefore, the man only had irregular contact with his mother, as he explained to
Bild
. In addition, due to his state of health, he himself is in need of care; Among other things, he has a disability level of 100 percent due to anxiety disorders.
His last contact with his mother was at Christmas. Finally, he too became worried and tried to reach her by phone at the beginning of February. Vain. “When I thought about informing the police, the officers were already at my door,” said the 68-year-old.
On site he discovered that all of the mother's jewelry was missing. In addition to a complaint against the facility for failure to provide assistance, he filed another complaint for alleged theft or embezzlement. According to
NOZ
, both proceedings have
now been discontinued after the investigation at the beginning of April found no foul play in the deaths of the seniors. The embezzlement could not be proven either. The cause of death is unknown.
Sad incidents among people living alone are not uncommon - signs of an emergency
The anger remains with the son of the deceased. He told Bild: "My mother's case shows that senior citizens do not always live as well protected as their relatives believe." Sad incidents like his mother's are not isolated cases among people who live alone. Time and again, people who have died in old age go unnoticed for long periods of time; also because they previously lived in loneliness. In a newsletter, a Hamburg housing association advises neighbors to become aware of signs.
The following could indicate that an emergency exists:
Overflowing mailbox
Windows permanently closed and locked
Constant noise from the television or radio as well as the complete absence of everyday noises such as the toilet flushing or the shower.
A strange smell in the stairwell.
Long-ago contact with the affected neighbor.
If there is any suspicion, you should first personally ring or knock on the person's doorbell to make sure everything is OK. If no one opens the door, you should call 110. So that serious cases, such as that of a senior citizen from Oldenburg in need of help, can be noticed more quickly, regular communication between neighbors is recommended. If you are traveling for a long time or are away, at least one neighbor should be informed.
(rku)