When Karin’s 98-year-old mother Britt could no longer stay at home, she was moved to a care home. Just a few days later, she was badly injured in a fall. This was followed by a stroke, an undetected bowel obstruction, and a prolonged suffering that ended with her death. According to the daughter, the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO) later criticized the care at Vardaga’s Villa Tule.

– I wanted to keep her as long as possible, preferably all the time. But it wasn’t possible, Karin tells Samnytt.

Just six days after moving in, everything changed. Early one morning, Karin called the care home to check on her mother’s condition. At first, the staff did not want to say what had happened, and referred her to the nurse.

Then she was told that her mother had fallen during the night. When Karin arrived, she was met by a shocking sight.

– It looked as if she had been beaten. She was completely bruised and had a large cut by her eye.

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At the hospital, a fracture in her hip, four broken ribs, a large hematoma in her abdomen, and a damaged spleen that was bleeding were found. No one could explain how the injuries had occurred.

Suffered a Stroke Later

Due to the spleen injury, doctors temporarily discontinued her blood-thinning medication. A little over a week later, she was moved to another care home. Soon after, she suffered a major stroke.

– She could walk with help when she moved into the first home. Three weeks later, she was sitting in a wheelchair.

Karin believes that her mother’s blood-thinning treatment should have been restarted earlier. In the following weeks, Karin also noticed that her mother’s abdomen was becoming increasingly distended.

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She repeatedly raised her concerns with the staff but was told that the woman was constipated and that various remedies were being used to get the bowels moving.

A recurring irritation, according to Karin, was that parts of the staff spoke Arabic with each other during shifts. She felt that communication with the elderly was neglected and that her mother, who after the stroke had difficulty speaking, was left out while staff held conversations in a language she could not understand. On one occasion, an employee said he had tried to teach the dementia-stricken woman Arabic.

– She could hardly speak Swedish anymore. Should she then learn Arabic?

Karin, daughter of 98-year-old Britt

Despite this, her abdomen continued to swell and finally a night nurse sounded the alarm.

– I’m not taking responsibility for this any longer. I’ve called an ambulance, Karin was told.

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Total Bowel Obstruction

At Danderyd Hospital, an X-ray revealed a complete bowel obstruction. The severely distended colon had led to peritonitis, and the woman had also developed pneumonia.

The doctors planned an emergency operation, but before the procedure could be done, the 98-year-old’s condition rapidly deteriorated.

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– She couldn’t breathe. She suffered terribly.

We all know that we will die someday. But my mother should have had a peaceful end. Instead, she died in terrible pain.

Karin, daughter of 98-year-old Britt

The surgery was canceled and the woman died later the same day.

After her mother’s death, Karin filed reports with both the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO) and Löf, the region’s mutual insurance company. Karin tells Samnytt that Löf assessed her mother would likely have had a much better chance of survival if she had come to the hospital earlier.

According to Karin, IVO also criticized the care home’s handling and found deficiencies in the care, while the authority did not find reason to criticize the responsible doctor.

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Karin appealed that part of the decision but did not succeed.

Critical of Language Issues and Culture Clashes

In addition to medical care, Karin also criticizes the behavior of some of the staff. She describes recurring language barriers and feels that certain staff members did not accept what she tried to convey about her mother’s needs.

A recurring irritation, according to Karin, was that parts of the staff spoke Arabic with each other during shifts. She felt that communication with the elderly was neglected and that her mother, who after the stroke had difficulty speaking, was left out while staff held conversations in a language she could not understand.

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On one occasion, an employee said he had tried to teach the dementia-stricken woman Arabic.

– She could hardly speak Swedish anymore. Should she then learn Arabic? says Karin.

She also recounts a conflict where she summoned a staff member with a beckoning index finger. The gesture was perceived as offensive by the employee, who, according to Karin, explained that in his homeland it is associated with slavery.

– I replied that we’re in Sweden, and that is how you call someone over here.

“Then I’d Rather Drive into a Rock Wall”

Today, Karin says the hardest part is not that her mother died, but how her last months were.

– We all know that we will die someday. But my mother should have had a peaceful end. Instead, she died in terrible pain.

She now hopes her story will lead to increased scrutiny of elderly care. The experience has also changed her view on her own old age. She concludes:

– I never want to end up in a care home myself. Then I would rather take the car and drive into a rock wall.

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