Dementia patient dies after being served dishwashing liquid in senior home

A 93-year-old female resident at San Mateo, Californian senior home Atria Hillsdale has died after "mistakenly being served dishwashing liquid as juice."

The San Mateo Police Department's official statement on the investigation reads as follows: "On August 28, 2022, at approximately 8:10 p.m., a San Mateo Police Department patrol officer was dispatched on the report of a female being poisoned at the Atria Hillsdale care home facility located in San Mateo.

The report adds, "SMPD began a comprehensive investigation and learned three home care residents were hospitalized after ingesting toxic chemicals. Tragically, one of the three residents, a 93-year-old female, was pronounced deceased at a local hospital. SMPD Detectives are actively investigating this case jointly with the California Department of Social Services Ombudsman, and Atria Hillsdale is cooperating with this investigation."

The resident who died was identified to be Gertrude Elizabeth Murison Maxwell. Her daughter, Marcia Cutchin, said the deceased arrived at the hospital with "severe blistering of her mouth and throat and oesophagus." She and the rest of her family were later told that the blistering was so extreme that there was nothing the medical professionals could do about it.

Further investigations have revealed that the substance Gertrude ingested was an "alkaline cleaning solution that eats protein." Marcia told San Francisco tv station KRON4 that her mother couldn't feed herself and that she doubted other dementia patients could either, raising concern for the quality of care being offered to other patients in the senior home.

"Many people like my mother, you have to hold a cup to her mouth and tip it into her mouth," she said. Marcia also shared that her family originally chose Atria Hillsdale because of its good reputation.

She revealed, "That facility was very highly regarded and very expensive. You do those things to ensure that there's a higher level of care."

The investigation of the case is still ongoing. In addition to the police, the California Department of Social Services Ombudsman is also investigating the incident.