A Waterloo nursing home recently acquired by a private equity firm has been fined $10,000 for the death of a 45-year-old resident who choked on a sandwich.
According to state records, a long-time female resident of Waterloo's Harmony House Health Care Center, Christine Beenken, died on Oct. 21, 2024. The 45-year-old Beenken had a moderate intellectual disability and, according to state inspectors, had special dietary restrictions that limited her food intake to soft, bite-sized items.
The states alleges Beenken also had a well-documented history of frequently collecting food from various sources in the building, including other residents' plates. However, the state alleges the staff at Harmony House failed to develop and put in place an effective behavioral intervention plan that might have discouraged such behavior.
State inspectors allege that on Oct. 18, 2024, workers at the home reported seeing Beenken "stuffing an entire peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her mouth." She began choking and a staff member initiated the Heimlich maneuver before Beenken became unresponsive and showed no signs of a pulse.
Beenken was then transported to a hospital where she died three days later. In her obituary, Beenken was remembered as a music lover who enjoyed snuggling her stuffed animals while watching "Barney & Friends" and "Looney Tunes" on television.
https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/12/05/woman-dies-at-iowa-nursing-home-recently-acquired-by-private-equity-firm/