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45 Langley Avenue
Woman with Alzheimer's died moments after choking while eating pudding
A woman with Alzheimer’s disease died minutes after choking while eating her pudding at a Surbiton care home, a coroner has ruled.
Joan Thornley, a retired box office administrator, was 78 when she died at Bourne House in Langley Avenue. She began coughing after being fed a few spoonfuls of food at lunchtime on March 16, and died a few minutes afterwards. Jevin Jose, the nurse who was feeding Mrs Thornley before she died, recounted her final minutes at West London Coroner’s Court on Tuesday.
He told her inquest that after she rejected a spoonful-and-a-half of her main course, he attempted to feed Mrs Thornley pudding – gateau mashed with milk. He and two colleagues took Mrs Thornley to her nearby room and put her in the recovery position. She died shortly afterwards.
Mrs Thornley, who was born in Kilburn in north-west London in October 1934, was admitted to Bourne House in 2005 following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. The court heard she was known to struggle with dysphagia, meaning it was difficult for her to swallow food. Files showed she was at risk of “aspirating”, or breathing in, her food. Medical examiner Dr Robert Chapman told the inquest he found a “significant quantity” of food in Mrs Thornley’s airways. A spoon designed especially for people with difficulty swallowing was not used to feed Mrs Thornley, the court heard. An internal review was conducted by the care home, which is run by LRH Homes.
Conclusion: Accidental death
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