Home Care Forgot Pensioner – Found Dead After Two Weeks

The home care service in Karlshamn Municipality is under review after a care recipient was found dead in their home. According to reports, the person had been deceased for at least two weeks before the death was discovered.

It was only after a neighbor noticed and alerted the home care staff to the situation that a check was carried out. When staff entered the residence, it was established that the client had died.

Documentation shows that the home care service had already had difficulty contacting the person about a month earlier. Staff are said to have attempted to reach the client by phone and also tried to make contact through home visits, but without success.

Despite being unable to reach the client, no further action was taken to ensure the person’s wellbeing. The lack of follow-up has now resulted in the incident being reported according to Lex Sarah, according to the national broadcaster.

The report means the municipality must investigate whether serious misconduct or deficiencies in operational routines occurred. The investigation should clarify, among other things, why no follow-up was conducted despite the client being unreachable for an extended period.