Elderly left in feces as home care fails to answer alarms in Stockholm

Two elderly residents in southern Stockholm experienced distressing situations when their home care service failed to respond to emergency alarms, leading to prolonged periods of neglect. In one instance, an elderly person fell and could not get up, alerting home care but receiving no response for three hours until a neighbor intervened.

On the same day, another alarm went unanswered. This individual was found on the floor, lying in their own feces, five hours after initially seeking help. These two incidents, occurring on the same day in July, have prompted a formal report to the Inspectorate for Health and Welfare (Ivo) by Elin Eklund, unit manager at Enskededalen home care.

"It is, of course, serious," Eklund told local newspaper Mitt i. Ivo is now investigating the events. Eklund stated that she cannot currently explain what went wrong on the day in question, deferring to the ongoing investigation. She assured that alarm procedures have been reviewed to prevent recurrence. The report to Ivo indicates that the staff involved has undergone a review of alarm protocols, and the person responsible for alarms has been called in for a discussion to determine the cause of the unheeded calls.

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It is, of course, serious.