Care Home Patient With Dementia Found Dead
A private care company is carrying out an inquiry and reviewing its protection measures following the death of a pensioner with dementia who went missing from a nursing home in Caithness.
A full-scale search ended late on Thursday when 72-year-old Dennis Salter’s body was recovered from the sea.
Staff and residents at the Pentland View nursing home in Thurso and former colleagues of the retired popular postie were left shocked.
In recent years, he has suffered from a mild form of dementia and it is understood he has previously gone missing from the home. He moved there earlier his year from sheltered housing in Thurso’s harbour area.
Care home manager Morag Wood refused to discuss the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, referring queries to the owners, London-based Barchester Healthcare Ltd.
A company statement said: “The Pentland View care home team are devastated about what has happened.
“We would like to express our deepest sympathies to his family. As with all our homes, we closely monitor and observe our residents while ensuring they have appropriate levels of freedom.
“Following this incident, we will be reviewing our policies and procedures.”
A spokesman said it has 170 homes across the UK and was given an excellent rating in its latest inspection by the Care Commission.
Jim Jackson, chief executive of Alzheimer Scotland, said care homes face a daily challenge in allowing active dementia sufferers to have sufficient freedom while ensuring their safety.
“One of the challenges is to balance the duty of care with an attitude that says life is risky. If you try and protect yourself entirely from risk you do nothing and that’s true of the care of people with dementia as well,” he said.
Mr Salter, a father-of-two, was last seen alive at about 4pm on Thursday in the home just off the A9 between Thurso and Scrabster.
His body was seen by a helicopter crew in the sea off West Gills just before 11pm.
The pensioner was flown to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, where he was pronounced dead. A report on his death has been sent by police to the fiscal in Wick.
Former work colleague Robert Allan yesterday said Mr Salter’s death had come as a tremendous shock.
He said: “Dennis was a topper of a guy and I know all those who worked alongside him are very distressed about what has happened.”
Mr Salter, pre-deceased by his wife Linda, was originally from Aberdeen.
He settled in the far north when he started work on a house-building scheme in Thurso.
He then joined the Royal Mail and spent about 25 years there before retiring.
