Coroner's Finding: SMITH Robert Duncan Strachan

85y · Male·general inanition on a background of end stage dementia

An 85-year-old man with advanced mixed fronto-temporal and Lewy body dementia died from general inanition (wasting) following progressive decline over several years. He was hospitalised in July 2017 after becoming unmanageable in respite care, placed on Mental Health Act orders in September, and transferred to a specialised dementia ward. He gradually stopped eating and drinking, became bed-bound, and deteriorated over three weeks. Palliative care was instituted on 29 September following family discussions. The coroner found his care at both hospitals appropriate and the Mental Health Act orders justified. The death represented an expected natural progression of advanced dementia rather than a preventable medical error. Family were satisfied with care provided.