Patient With Dementia Dies After Drinking Detergent, MDH Says
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A patient suffering dementia at a clinic in Shakopee died after drinking detergent that was left out by a staff member last year.
The Minnesota Department of Health just issued a report on the incident, which happened at Emerald Crest Memory Care, under Augustana Care.
According to the MDH, the patient was left unattended near corrosive chemical detergent intended for use in the facilities dishwasher. The patient then poured a glass of the chemical and proceeded to drink it.
The report says the patient spat it out, and then drank a quarter cup of coffee. Three hours later, the patient complained of having a sore throat and was spitting out phlegm that also contained blood. The patient was taken to the hospital with burns to the throat, and died a number of days after the incident.
The report said the patient had a history of poor judgement and had a tendency to take food and drinks from the kitchen. The MDH report said the cupboards should have been locked due to this behavior.
Augustana Care issued a statement:
"An unfortunate accident occurred last year involving a resident at our Shakopee location who mistakenly ingested a liquid cleanser and later passed away. Liquid cleansers are kept locked up; however, early in the morning while the old cleanser was being changed out for a new one, a staff member momentarily left the old cleanser unattended. This tragedy affected everyone deeply and our primary concern is for the resident's family. We want to express our sorrow on behalf of everyone at Augustana Care.
"The safety and well-being of residents is our first priority. To prevent this from happening again, we reviewed all safety policies and procedures extensively and retrained staff members."
