Pensioner Forced to Lie in Feces for Five Hours – Home Care Ignored Alarms

Two pensioners in southern Stockholm were left lying on the floor for several hours after their alarms to home care services went unanswered. In one case, it took three hours before a neighbor could help the person. In the other, the elderly individual was not discovered until five hours later, having lain in their own feces.

Both incidents occurred on the same day in July and have now been reported to the Health and Social Care Inspectorate, IVO, according to Mitt i.

The first person fell and could not get up from the floor. The individual alerted home care services for help, but no one responded. It was only after about three hours that a neighbor noticed the situation and could intervene.

A similar incident happened the same day. Again, an elderly person ended up on the floor and alarmed home care services, but received no response. The individual remained on the floor for about five hours before help arrived.

When the elderly person was finally found, they had also been lying in their own feces. Elin Eklund, unit manager at Enskededalen Home Care, has filed two Lex Sarah reports to IVO.

“Of course it is serious,” she told the newspaper.