Prosecutors drop Ivalo care home death case after suspect dies

Prosecutors have dropped a case over a death at a care home in Ivalo after the suspected person died, Yle reports.

Regional prosecutor Maija Aarto said the decision not to prosecute was made on Monday because the suspect died in September.

An elderly woman died in her bed at Männikkö, a care home in Ivalo, in January. Another resident had been lying partly on top of her. Police investigated the death as negligent homicide and did not suspect intentional harm or violence.

The case raised concerns about the standard of care at the home. The Licensing and Supervisory Agency found that staffing was inadequate and that staff time was being spent on tasks other than direct care.

Lapland’s wellbeing services county said earlier in the summer that the shortcomings were related to work organisation and documentation practices, not staffing levels. Last summer, the home decided to begin tracking time spent on indirect work and to reduce such tasks for care staff if needed.