THE WOODLANDS, Texas – A nursing home in The Woodlands called the wrong family to tell them their loved one passed away.
Davida Jones said she received a devastating call from Park Manor The Woodlands on Saturday. It was about her mother, who was recuperating from spine surgery at the nursing home.
“At 5 a.m., I received a phone call from a nurse at Park Manor stating my mother was found unresponsive,” Jones said.
Jones had visited her mom the night before and she says her mother was fine. Jones and her family then went to visit another ailing relative two hours away. The next morning, she got the call.
“In my mind, there's no way this can happen,” Jones said. “But then, I thought obviously they knew she is deceased.”
Thinking her mother was gone, Davida began to grieve during a two-hour ride back to The Woodlands. She called family members who raced toward the nursing home, then she called the nursing home.
“I called again at 5:30,” Jones said. “I asked if there had there been any change: Any responsiveness? Any pulse? Any anything? She stated that they were still working on her but she was deceased.”
At the nursing home, an hour and half later, Jones said a nursing assistant told her niece that the nurse who called Davida Jones had made a mistake.
“The nurses insisted they had the right family until the CNA (certified nursing assistant) finally moved in between them and asked, 'Honey, is your grandmother black or white?' She said, 'My grandmother is white' The CNA said (to the nurse), 'You have the wrong family. You called the wrong family.'”
The two patients were two different races but they shared the same name.
“The fact that they didn't even check a date of birth before they made that call, and it's a horrendous call to make, is unacceptable,” said Jones, whose mom is alive and well.
“I’m so grateful to God she is safe and without harm,” Jones said.
“It was unacceptable and I feel really bad for the other family,” said Jones’ mother. “This place definitely found out how much love I have for my family.”
She and her family grieve for another Park Manor patient's family, which heard different news about their loved one with the same name.
“My heart goes out to that family and I do pray they have peace and comfort,” Jones said. “We do want to shed light on this. It happens and it should not happen.”
Park Manor of The Woodlands sent KPRC this statement:
“We sincerely regret the error which (was) made by one of our staff on Saturday, Sept. 1. We have contacted and met with the family who was wrongly informed of their loved one's passing and apologized for the unfortunate error and notification. We hope the family will forgive us for this sad mistake and understand the staff member acted in haste without any intent of malice. We will continue to provide Compassionate Care for their loved one and all of the residents whose families have entrusted us with their care.”