Nursing home operators in Roseville are being blamed for the death of a resident whose head became trapped between the mattress and the bed's grab bar.
Langton Place, which is operated by Presbyterian Homes, "had no policy, procedure or system to ensure the proper sizing of mattresses, the fit of the grab bars [or the proper] space between the mattresses and the grab bar device to reduce the risk of entrapment," according to a state Health Department report released last week.
The resident suffocated and died on May 31, according to the Ramsey County medical examiner's office. The woman's injuries included fresh bruising on her neck, the autopsy found.
While the Health Department did not disclose the woman's name, her husband identified her as Delores Rowan, 73, of North St. Paul.
Michael Rowan said Wednesday that his wife's suffocation "wasn't the only problem we had with that place."
Rowan said Langton Place one day ran out of the liquid nutrition she was fed through a tube. He also said she came down with cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection, and needed to be hospitalized. He said he also found caked feces in his wife's pubic area.
Asked for reaction to the husband's allegations, Roseville-based Presbyterian Homes spokeswoman Cindy Ray said in a written statement that "to maintain and respect the privacy of all residents and their families, we do not disclose or comment on health conditions or care procedures of any person under our care."
In response to Rowan's death, the state recommended a fine and "a plan of correction" in which nursing home administrators would outline how they intend to prevent a similar incident.
