A person at a nursing home in Mjölby municipality died in hospital after having been given what is suspected to be liquid detergent to drink. Exactly how the dangerous liquid ended up in the resident’s possession is still unclear. The municipality states that the incident occurred during the “morning routines” and has launched investigations under both Lex Sarah and Lex Maria. The case also brings up concerns about safety in elder care, where several widely reported mix-ups have happened before – including cases where elderly people were served cat food and vinegar essence.
The serious incident occurred on Saturday morning at a municipal care home in Mjölby. One of the residents was given a liquid to drink which staff state was liquid detergent. The person was taken urgently to hospital but passed away later that same day.
– The staff assess that it was probably detergent that the person was given to drink, says Päivi Pannula, head of administration in Mjölby municipality, to SVT Nyheter Öst.
Occurred During the “Morning Routines”
How the detergent got to the resident and under what circumstances it was consumed is still not established. The municipality has so far released only limited information.
– A very tragic and sad accident has occurred. It happened in connection with the morning routines, says Päivi Pannula, in a comment to public media.
The term “morning routines” in elder care encompasses several steps such as personal care, medication, and breakfast. Based on the information currently provided by the municipality, it is not possible to establish how the mix-up happened.
According to Pannula, the ward was staffed according to the regular schedule and the staff is said to have acted quickly once it became clear what had happened.
Double Investigations After the Death
Mjölby municipality regards the incident as a serious deviation and has started two separate investigations, under Lex Sarah and Lex Maria, respectively. The incident is also to be reported to the Health and Care Inspectorate (Ivo).
– This is a serious deviation, and such cases must always be reported to the IVO, says Pannula.
The investigations will, among other things, try to clarify the sequence of events, how the resident was able to ingest detergent, and whether operational routines or safety measures need to be changed. The municipality expects the work to be completed within a few weeks.
Until then, it is not yet established whether a staff member actively served detergent, whether it was confused with another liquid, or whether the resident accessed it in some other way during breakfast.
Elderly Person Given Vinegar Essence Instead of Juice
The incident in Mjölby is particularly serious because it resulted in a fatal outcome, but food and product mix-ups within elder care have also been reported previously.
In Kils municipality, an elderly person receiving home care was given vinegar essence instead of juice when they were about to take their medication. According to the municipality’s medically responsible nurse, the elderly person had asked for something to drink, after which staff served vinegar essence.
The affected person reacted to the stinging sensation of the liquid and later started to vomit. The person was taken to hospital the next day. The municipality subsequently conducted a Lex Maria investigation.
READ ALSO: Pensioner Given Vinegar Essence by Home Care Instead of Juice – Several Similar Cases
Another case occurred in Gothenburg, where an elderly woman was given 24-percent vinegar essence instead of water when she was to take her evening medicine. The woman suffered corrosive injuries to her esophagus, among other places, and was treated in hospital.
79-Year-Old Eva Served Cat Food for Breakfast
In Norrköping, another widely reported mix-up occurred during the summer of 2025. When 79-year-old Eva Andersson asked the home care service for porridge with milk for breakfast, she instead received a plate of cat food. Eva noticed the mistake herself and tried to explain to the employee that the food was meant for the cat.
– I immediately said that this is cat food, I can’t eat that, she said.
READ ALSO: 79-Year-Old Eva Served Cat Food by Home Care: “Language Difficulties”
According to Eva, the incident was due to major language difficulties. She stated that she had trouble communicating with some of the home care staff and at the time had to use a photograph from the fridge to show which product she actually wanted.
Norrköping municipality described the incident as an “unfortunate mistake.” Operational manager Anette Asplund said that the staff member had misunderstood the care recipient’s instructions and emphasized that sufficient knowledge of Swedish is a basic requirement for the job.
Language Skills Have Become a Patient Safety Issue
Language skills in elder care have in recent years become part of a broader discussion. Poor Swedish language skills can mean much more than difficulty with everyday conversation. Staff need to understand spoken instructions, documentation, medication information, warning texts, and product labels used in the elderly’s homes and care facilities.
Previous cases show that communication problems can coincide with serious mistakes. However, this does not mean that language deficiencies can be cited as an explanation for the death in Mjölby. So far, the municipality has not stated that lack of Swedish language skills played any role in the current incident.
What actually caused the fatal mix-up – and how a resident could ingest what is believed to be liquid detergent – are questions that the ongoing investigations are now attempting to answer.