Twelve people died last year due to failures in Sweden's home care system. Five of them had activated safety alarms but never received help.
An official investigation revealed 190 serious incident reports within home care services. In twelve cases, people died following care deficiencies. Five deaths occurred when safety alarms were forgotten or mishandled.
One person activated their alarm seven times without response. Another stroke victim waited hours for help after triggering their alarm.
Four additional deaths happened when individuals went without food and care for extended periods. Authorities identified 43 total cases where alarm handling failures caused or risked serious consequences.
In twelve more deaths, investigators cannot rule out that different actions by care staff might have changed outcomes. In five instances, care workers left without taking action when clients failed to answer doors.
Lars Rahm, head of the Health and Social Care Inspectorate, described the reports as just the tip of the iceberg. He said in a statement that such situations should not occur and that they reflect staff working conditions.
This tragedy exposes systemic failures in Sweden's much-praised elder care system. When safety alarms become ignored, the most vulnerable citizens face unacceptable risks in their own homes.