Beloved grandfather named Tom McDonald died in hospital after accidentally pouring detergent into his cereal bowl. It was later revealed that he had Alzheimer’s disease.
His death was reported at a District Coroner’s Court hearing.
In a statement, Ailbhe McDonald, his daughter, said that she had been living with him for the last 19 months following his mother, Viola, moved into a nursing home.
The 92-year-old had been suffering from dementia for several years before he died.
According to Ms. McDonald, her father would often get confused about the time of the day or night.
On the day of the accident, she said she heard him preparing a bowl of cornflakes at around 3:30 am.
After about 20 minutes, she checked on him and found him downstairs. He had reportedly felt ill after eating something.
She then noticed that there was a purple substance in the bowl. After checking on him, she informed her father, who confirmed that he had consumed the detergent.
According to the coroner, Mr. McDonald had been vomiting and drinking water before he fell ill. Despite his condition, he refused to go to the hospital.
Around 30 minutes later, Ailbhe called an ambulance due to her father’s cough and sore throat.
His condition had reportedly worsened, and he died at St. Vincent’s Hospital at 8.50 am.
One of his daughters, Aisling O’Grady, said that his condition had been fluctuating between bad and good periods. She noted that it had become worse before he died.
During the inquest, Ms. O’Grady stated that her father had no choice but to eat whatever was found in the fridge, as he was no longer capable of cooking for himself.
She also noted that there were no dangerous incidents in the house, and she was worried about how it was becoming increasingly difficult to look after her father.
According to her, she didn’t think that he would have drunk something that he was unfamiliar with.
She also noted that the detergent was nowhere near the fridge, and that her father could have easily opened the cupboard if it had been equipped with a child lock.
Ms. O’Grady explained that this could have caused him to not realize that he had accidentally poured the detergent on his cornflakes, as his taste had weakened.
According to the inquest, McDonald was a former member of the Defence Forces who served in the Congo.
He also worked as an accountant during his career. Emergency medicine consultant John Legge stated that Mr. McDonald vomited on the way to the hospital, and he was immediately treated as a priority case.
McDonald struggled with his breathing due to the effects of the detergent, which also affected his stomach and lungs. Dr Legge stated that they had consulted the Poisons Information Centre, which did not have an antidote, but they continued to provide care to the patient.
His condition worsened, which meant that he was unlikely to live.