Coroner's Finding: Kennedy, Beulah Laura
Deceased
Beulah Laura Kennedy
Demographics
95y, female
Date of death
2021-10-07
Finding date
2024-06-19
Cause of death
end-stage dementia and inanition complicated by fractured neck of femur (operated)
AI-generated summary
Mrs Beulah Kennedy, aged 95, died from end-stage dementia and inanition complicated by a fractured neck of femur. She was admitted to Royal Adelaide Hospital on 10 September 2021 with agitation and falls. An inpatient treatment order was imposed on 15 September 2021 following a combative incident. On 18 September, while assigned 1:1 nursing care, she fell unwitnessed when her nurse briefly left to retrieve medications, sustaining a femoral neck fracture. She underwent palliative fixation on 19 September. The ITO lapsed on 22 September, and she declined progressively, transitioning to palliative care by 29 September. The coroner found the ITO valid and appropriate, and that the standard of care provided was appropriate, including the 1:1 nursing arrangements. No preventability issues were identified.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Procedures
Contributing factors
- progressive dementia
- recurrent falls
- unwitnessed fall whilst under 1:1 nursing care
- age-related frailty
- decline in oral intake
Full text
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