One of the inhabitants at an Alzheimer’s care home in Iowa died in early January. According to an Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals citation, when funeral home personnel unzipped her body bag, she was alive – and gasping for air.

The unnamed 66-year-old woman was admitted to the Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in Urbandale, Iowa, in December 2021. According to the document, she suffered end-stage early-onset dementia, anxiety, and depression.

According to the report, she entered Glen Oaks hospice care on December 28, 2022, with “senile degeneration of the brain” and was given lorazepam and morphine for comfort.

According to the investigation, at 6 a.m. on Jan. 3, a nurse was unable to locate the resident’s pulse and she did not appear to be breathing. The nurse informed the family and the hospice nurse, who notified the funeral home. Another nurse and the funeral director arrived about 7:38 a.m. to pick up the patient and reported no signs of life.

After around 45 minutes, funeral home personnel unzipped the bag and discovered the patient’s body “She gasped for oxygen as her chest moved. The funeral house then dialed 911 and contacted hospice “According to the document.

The woman was found breathing but unconscious by emergency personnel. The patient was sent to the emergency hospital for further evaluation before being brought back to Glen Oaks for continuing hospice treatment.
The patient died early on January 5 “with hospice and her family by her side,” according to the document.

The investigation concluded that Glen Oaks “failed to offer proper instructions to guarantee appropriate care and services were provided” and “failed to ensure residents received dignified treatment and care at end of life” based on interviews and data. A $10,000 fine is now looming for the facility.