Pensioner Left Helpless and Died When Nursing Home Ignored Alarms

An elderly woman lies alone on the bathroom floor at Björntorp Nursing Home in Oxelösund. Beside her is the emergency call alarm she pressed for help. A staff member sees the alarm—and switches it off. When the woman is later found, she is dead.

It was promised this would never happen again. Procedures would be tightened. Safety improved. But just months later, it happened again. And again.

A 97-year-old man, after alarms are ignored, is left lying in running cold water for five hours after a fall, severely hypothermic before anyone finds him. Another woman, completely dependent on staff for help, had her alarm removed by night staff without explanation.

Despite deaths, Lex Sarah reports, and repeated alarm about abuse, not a single staff member has been fired. This is confirmed by Stefan Gjuse, head of the elder care division in Oxelösund, when asked by SR P4 Sörmland.

Woman Died Alone on Bathroom Floor

It was at the end of 2024 that the woman was found dead on the bathroom floor at Björntorp Nursing Home in Oxelösund. Next to her body was the emergency call button she used to request help. The alarm had gone through, but staff dismissed it. No one came to help.

The incident became known through a Lex Sarah report and provoked strong reactions. The municipal leadership promised change. This was supposed to be a one-time event. Procedures would be tightened so that no elderly person would ever again be left helpless after calling for help. But events proved otherwise.

Bengt Lay in Icy Water for Five Hours

About half a year later, 97-year-old Bengt Gustavsson falls in his room. The water keeps running while he lies on the floor, unable to get up. He calls for help. This alarm is also ignored.

When staff finally find him, he is severely hypothermic after lying in cold water for about five hours. And the problems did not end there.

A later Lex Sarah report shows how night staff without explanation removed the alarm from a woman who was entirely dependent on staff for day-to-day living. If any procedures had been tightened as promised, they were ineffective.

“Values Training” but No One Has Been Fired

After the revelations, those responsible in elderly care have spoken of ‘values work’, cultural changes, and training initiatives for staff.

Division head Stefan Gjuse admits to Sveriges Radio that, for the employees, a basic sense of humanity and an understanding of how to treat the elderly, sick, and demented people they work with has not come naturally. It has required training for them to understand this.

Despite these serious incidents, no one has been dismissed. According to the municipality, staff have received warnings, been reassigned, and given new duties. But no one has had to leave their job—even though elderly people were left without help and despite one woman losing her life as a result.

A Growing Pattern in Swedish Elder Care

The problems in Oxelösund are far from unique. Similar stories in recent years have come out of nursing homes and home care operations around the country. Reports of neglect, ignored emergency alarms, and abuse of the elderly have been frequent.

In Tidaholm, a woman recently died after her emergency alarm was ignored repeatedly during the night. She had fallen and hit her head. In panic, she activated her alarm no fewer than 16 times while lying on the floor alone.

Staff remotely switched off the alarms without going to her. Only after an hour and a half was the woman found, severely injured. She died soon after in hospital.

The municipality’s own investigation described it as a “systematic dismissal of alarms.” Investigators also concluded that the woman most likely experienced fear, anxiety, and helplessness while she waited for help that never came.

Even there, promises were made about tightening procedures, investigations, and measures. Yet, also there, it is reported that no one was fired.