Home care worker blamed in diabetic’s 2012 death

A home care assistant is suspected of giving one of her diabetic patients a fatal injection of insulin and twice leaving him alone in a helpless condition, leading to the man's death. The diabetic patient in question died on January 11th, 2012 in his home in Amsterdam. This is according to the case file on the 42 year old woman, who is currently living in Suriname, Het Parool reports. According to the case file, the home care assistant visited him at 8:00 a.m. that morning and found that the man was conscious but seemed to be under the influence of alcohol and his blood sugar levels dangerously low. She and an intern discussed whether an ambulance should be called, but decided against it. The man was given 62 units of insulin and the home care worker left, leaving the patient alone and helpless. When she returned three hours later, she found the man lying on the floor. He was breathing heavily and she could not get any comprehensive answers out of him. He was also unable to get up. She gave the man a pillow and a blanket, and then left - again without calling for help. When she returned the following day, the man was dead. According to the newspaper, the Healthcare Inspectorate concluded that many mistakes had been made by the home care assistant. The Public Prosecutor is now investigating whether the man's General Practitioner was aware of the situation. The court in Amsterdam is awaiting a report from an expert on the exact cause of the man's death.