An aged-care resident with Alzheimer's disease died of heatstroke after being alone in an unshaded area in summer due to a lack of staff safety checks, a coroner has found. or signup to continue reading Queensland Coroner Carol Lee last week released non-inquest findings into the 85-year-old man's death in hospital after suffering fatal heat injuries at a regional residential aged care facility. "At approximately 12:18pm on February 11, 2023, the resident was located unconscious in an unsheltered patio area at the facility.
He was found on the concrete in the sun and was noted to be hot to touch," Ms Lee said. The resident, who used a wheelchair for mobility, was last seen at 10am that day. On arrival at hospital, he appeared to have suffered burns and his temperature was more than half a degree higher than the 40C threshold for the start of heat-related illness.
The man died in hospital a week later. The federal Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission held a serious incident investigation into the death, which found the resident moved himself to a garden patio area in a position that was not easily visible to those inside the building. "He remained in this area for two hours and eighteen minutes.
The area had no shade, on the day of the incident the temperature was approximately 30C, and the resident had no sun protection except for the clothes that he wore," the investigation report stated. An assistant nursing staff member had been meant to physically sight and record the .