Sen. Chuck Grassley calls for accountability in Iowa nursing home mistaken death declaration

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is calling for further accountability regarding the case in which a woman was declared dead at an Iowa nursing home and later discovered to be alive.

Grassley sent a letter Thursday to Larry Johnson Jr., director of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, requesting greater transparency surrounding the circumstances of the mistaken death declaration which took place at the Glen Oaks Alzheimer's Special Care Center in Urbandale on Jan. 3.

After being transferred to a funeral home in a body bag, the woman "gasped for air," according to a report. She was transported to the hospital, where she died two days later.

What was in Chuck Grassley's letter?

Grassley's letter calls for greater accountability for the Glen Oaks Care Center and its management company, Dallas-based Frontier Management, which he writes is "one of the nation's largest senior housing managers."

"Unfortunately, what happened at Glen Oaks was not an isolated event. These alarming errors have occurred at assisted living facilities around the country," Grassley wrote in the letter, citing a similar incident that involved an 82-year-old resident at the Water's Edge Rehab & Nursing Center in Port Jefferson, New York.

"These facilities are entrusted with some of our nation’s most vulnerable at a time when they don’t have the ability to advocate for themselves," he wrote.

Grassley requested the agency provide a detailed history of every complaint made against the care center and its management company in the last five years. He also asked for clarity on the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals' involvement in the case and any future action it intends to take.

The department recently levied a $10,000 fine against the care center, alleging that they "failed to provide adequate direction to ensure appropriate cares and services were provided" regarding the declaration of the patient's death.

Lisa Eastman, executive director of the Glen Oaks Alzheimer's Special Care Center, previously told the Des Moines Register the facility has been in close communication with the family of the woman.

"We care deeply about our residents and we remain fully committed to supporting their end-of-life care. All of our employees are given regular training in how best to support end-of-life care and the death transition for our residents," Eastman said.

In the past five years, the agency has levied over $10,000 in additional fines against Glen Oaks for violations ranging from failure to perform required background checks on employees and ensure proper supervision over residents, to failure to properly administer medication and report a resident's suicide attempts.

More: Iowa nursing home resident found in vegetative state after screams for help were ignored

Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Chuck Grassley on Iowa nursing home declaring alive woman dead