Death at California Elderly Home After Dishwasher Soap Served Instead of Juice

The Guardian, Aug. 30, 2022. - Ed.

- Officials investigating after 3 residents at San Mateo facility reportedly ingested liquid given mistakenly by staff. -

One resident of a California home for senior citizens died and 2 others were hospitalized after the complex’s staff mistakenly served them dishwashing liquid thinking it was drinking juice over the weekend, according to officials. Three people living at Atria Park senior living facility in San Mateo, CA just south of San Francisco, had to be taken to a hospital after ingesting the liquid in question on Saturday morning.

One of them later died, and the local police, the state department of social services and the facility itself are investigating, Atria Park officials said. Atria Park’s leaders also said that they quickly suspended the employees determined to have had a hand in serving the dishwasher liquid to the stricken residents while the investigation is pending, but otherwise they would not comment “out of respect for the people involved”. The safety and wellbeing of our residents remain our top priorities at all times,” the statement added.

The case highlighted one of the worst outcomes imaginable for the more than 800,000 people residing in licensed assisted living facilities across the US and their loved ones.

The San Francisco news outlet Kron-TV identified the dead resident as 93-year-old Gertrude Elizabeth Murison Maxwell. Her daughter, Marcia Cutchin, said Maxwell had dementia and needed help to feed herself. She went to the hospital with her mouth, throat and esophagus severely blistered.. Maxwell’s 8 children and 20 grandchildren are now in mourning after what has been characterized to them as a deadly mistake by the employees of a complex that attracted the grieving family because of the good reputation it enjoyed....

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/30/elderly-home-california-san-mateo-death-dishwasher-liquid