Severe failures in Odsherred home care leave elderly at risk
A new analysis reveals that staff shortages and high sick leave in Odsherred Municipality’s home care services are putting vulnerable residents in danger, with one woman left untreated for a week despite showing signs of a brain blood clot, DR reports.
Susanne Fjelstad, 75, who relies on home care due to severe lung disease, began exhibiting confusion and memory loss on 30 April. Her daughter, Hanne Rønnow Fjelstad, immediately noticed something was wrong when her mother—normally sharp-minded—could not operate her radio or TV and struggled to recall basic details.
For five days, Rønnow Fjelstad repeatedly contacted home care staff, doctors, and emergency services, only to be told that a substitute carer would check on her mother during routine rounds. Despite her persistent pleas, Susanne Fjelstad received only basic checks: her blood pressure was dangerously high, but her temperature and blood sugar were normal.
When Rønnow Fjelstad travelled 100 kilometres from Frederiksberg to visit, she found her mother still disoriented. Home care staff dismissed the symptoms as either dehydration or emotional distress over the loss of her regular carer.
“I was going out of my mind,” Rønnow Fjelstad said. Only after she threatened to alert the media did her mother’s doctor finally call emergency services. Scans later revealed multiple recent blood clots in Susanne Fjelstad’s brain.
“She just said, ‘I told you so,’” her daughter recalled.
### Systemic failures in care
This incident is not isolated. A new optimisation report on Odsherred’s home and nursing care, set for review by the Committee for Elderly, Health, and Prevention, highlights severe understaffing and inefficiencies. Key findings include:
– Home carers spend just 48.5% of their working hours directly with clients, compared to the national average of 57%.
– Sick leave among staff has risen from 14.5% in 2024 to 16% in 2025—double the national rate of 8.1%.
– The municipality struggles to recruit both permanent and temporary staff, particularly during peak holiday seasons.
Louise Zachariassen, a former care assistant in Odsherred, resigned last autumn after seven years, citing unbearable pressure. “I’d go home with a stomachache because I couldn’t give residents the time they needed,” she said. “Often, I had to skip baths or conversations—just basic dignity.”
She attributes oversight failures, like Susanne Fjelstad’s case, to reliance on temporary staff who “don’t know the residents well enough to spot when something’s wrong.”
### Political response
Michael Kjeldgaard (S), chair of the committee, acknowledged the report’s findings, admitting that “we’re failing to deliver the care hours we’ve promised.” While the analysis labels the issues as organisational rather than structural, he emphasised the need to reduce administrative burdens and increase direct care time.
Rasmus Gormsen Hansen, head of Odsherred’s Care and Health department, has been presented with the case but has not yet responded publicly.