SAN MATEO, CA–
A dementia patient has died after she was allegedly served dishwashing liquid instead of juice at a nursing home.
The incident occurred at Atria Park Senior Living Facility in San Mateo on
According to the report, an employee accidentally poured an alkaline cleaning solution that eats protein into multiple cups:
“There may have been a mistake,’’ the source involved in the investigation told the local NBC affiliate. “A jug of grape juice is what somebody thought they had picked up and poured into glasses, but it was some sort of cleaning fluid.”
The victim was rushed to an area hospital where she was said to have had “severe blistering of her mouth and throat and esophagus.” She later died from her injuries.
The victim’s name has not been made available by police at this time, however, her daughter, Marcia Cutchin, identified her as Gertrude Elizabeth Murison Maxwell.
Cutchin almost told outlets that her mother was not able to eat or drink on her own so an employee had to help her:
“Many people, like my mother, you have to hold a cup to her mouth and tip it into her mouth,” Cutchin told KRON-TV.
The two employees involved in the incident, have been suspended.
The senior care facility has since released a statement:
“We have been working with local authorities, who have informed us that one resident passed away,” Atria said in a statement to the station. “Our sincerest condolences are with the family.”
The victim was one of three patients rushed to the hospital after consuming the liquid.