The daughter of a resident in a Michigan nursing home recently pleaded no contest in the Circuit Court to vulnerable adult abuse in the third degree. The woman was accused of cutting the feeding tube and turning off life support connected to her 78-year-old mother.
The daughter told police she did not want to hurt her mother, but wanted to stop her pain. She said that her mother had showed her where the scissors were-in the top drawer of the nightstand. The daughter had also told at least one nurse that she was planning to shut-off her mother’s life support.
About a minute after the tube was cut and the life support system was turned off, an alarm sounded indicating a problem. A nurse responded and immediately turned the life support system back on and stabilized the resident. The nurse told the police that the daughter was sitting next to her mother saying she could go to heaven now.
The daughter notified the police and waited in the nursing home lobby for them to come. Another daughter, after hearing about the incident, demanded that the police be involved and that her sister be arrested.
The accused daughter faces up to two years imprisonment and/or a fine of $2,500. She is free on a $100,000 personal recognizance bond.
Compliance Perspective
Failure by staff members to report being told by a family member about a plan to shut-off a resident’s life support may be considered a breach of regulations requiring that any reasonable suspicion of a crime be reported and deemed provision of substandard quality of care, in violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points
- Review policies and procedures regarding residents on life support systems and healthcare proxies involved in decision-making about use or discontinuation of life support.
- Train staff regarding abuse, neglect, and exploitation and the responsibility to immediately report to their supervisor or through the Hotline any incident or reasonable suspicion of a crime.
- Periodically audit to determine if the healthcare directives for residents on life support are known and being followed.
