93-year-old dementia patient died after consuming a washing capsule

A coroner has issued a warning after a 93-year-old woman suffering from dementia died as a result of eating washing powder capsules that “looked like sweets”.

Elizabeth van der Drift died on March 19 from a combination of aspiration pneumonia, ingestion of the toxic detergent tablets and dementia.

A carer told the inquest into Ms van der Drift’s death that the packaging of the detergent capsules “bear more than a passing resemblance to a bag of sweets”, according to a Preventing Future Deaths (PFD) report.

Deputy coroner Ian Potter, from central north London, warned that the rules may not “adequately take into account” the risks to people with dementia and mental disabilities.

Ms van der Drift has suffered from dementia for “several years” and often cannot remember the last time she ate, Mr Potter said.

He said she had often been “looking for something to eat” and on March 13 or 14 she had “gained access to colourful laundry detergent tablets or capsules” and “bit into at least one of them”.

The product was described as “predominantly bright pink and white, but also orange, yellow and green.”

It also has no “obvious design feature” that would make it difficult for someone with “even the most basic manual dexterity” to access the “potentially sweet” capsules, Potter said.

Shortly after consuming the product, Ms van der Drift complained of stomach pain and shortness of breath.

An ambulance was called and she died in hospital days later.

The investigation revealed that her death was an accident.

The PFD stated: “It has long been known that products of this type can pose risks to children. However, the risks to people with dementia or other forms of cognitive impairment appear to be less well known.”

The coroner said the “bright, eye-catching colors” were an “industry-wide phenomenon.”

Therefore, issuing a warning to individual manufacturers would be “short-sighted,” he said.

Instead, the report was forwarded to the CEO of the Office for Product Safety and Standards, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Director General of the UK Cleaning Product Industry Association.

The regulation prohibits the sale of products that are unsuitable for human consumption but can easily be confused with food and explicitly points out the danger to children.

Recipients of the PFD must respond to the report by 8 October this year, providing details of the action taken or proposed, or the reasons for not taking action, unless the Coroner extends the deadline.