An investigation is under way after an 82-year-old woman was found breathing three hours after she was pronounced dead at a New York nursing home.
The woman, whose name has not been disclosed, was declared dead at Water’s Edge Rehab and Nursing Centre on Long Island at 11:15 on Saturday. According to Suffolk County police, the woman was taken to the OB Davis Funeral Homes at 13:30 and was found breathing at 14:09.
The woman was taken to hospital. No update on her condition has been made available.
Officials from the funeral home released a statement saying that they were not in a position to comment on the matter ‘out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of the families we are honoured to serve’.
The incident comes a few weeks after an Iowa care home was fined $10 000 under similar circumstances.
On 3 January, a 66-year-old woman was declared dead and placed in a body bag by staff at the Glen Oaks Alzheimers Special Care Centre. She was taken to a crematorium where workers discovered she was still breathing and called 911.
According to the Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals, the woman was returned to the care centre where she died two days later.