DSHS News: DDD Client Death in Group Home

October 17, 2011

Dear Colleagues, Partners and tribal and community leaders:

A 30-year-old developmentally disabled man receiving supported living services in his Pierce County home died unexpectedly Sunday, Oct. 16.

The Department of Social and Health Services is working with local law enforcement in the ongoing investigation.  Preliminary indications are that the man consumed liquid laundry detergent on Oct. 3 at his home.  Part of the investigation will be to determine how he was able to access the detergent.

In the spring of this year, the man had made the transition to community living from the Frances Haddon Morgan Center in Bremerton.

Management for the supported- living services program indicated that their employees at the man’s home immediately called the Poison Control Center, upon discovering that he had ingested the detergent. They reportedly were advised on how to care for the man. Later that night, he had difficulty breathing and was admitted to the hospital on Oct. 4.

He was reportedly discharged from the hospital on Oct. 15 with instructions on his continuing care. The next day, Oct. 16, supported-living staff  became concerned about his breathing. He was taken to the hospital emergency room and was admitted to the hospital, where he died later that day.

Staff in the home work for Educational Programs for Home Living, which provides supported-living care for about 60 clients in Pierce and Kitsap counties. Law enforcement also is investigating the death.

I am heartsick for this man and his family. We will do all we can to be certain what happened and why. We will share those results with everyone providing care for persons with developmental disabilities, including our own Residential Habilitation Centers, so that we can all do our jobs as best we can.

Fifty-two residents from Frances Haddon Morgan Center have determined where they are moving and 20 of them have already moved to another Residential Habilitation Center, 16 have moved to supported living and four have moved to State Operated Living Alternatives, known as SOLAs.

This gentleman’s tragic death should in no way cause Washington residents to lose confidence in the transition from state institutions to home and community-based care. We have an excellent record of helping people live safely and successfully in a community setting closer to their homes and families.

We can and will do all we can to prevent these kinds of tragic accidents but they do happen, in institutions, in supported-living homes and in people’s own homes. At the very least, we can learn from a tragic event like this and make changes in the system. But I can’t promise that it will never happen again.

Sincerely,

Susan N. Dreyfus
Secretary, DSHS