The Brief
- A South Bay family was mistakenly told their 92-year-old mother, Maryellen Capodiece, had died at a Los Gatos care facility, only to find her alive and watching TV when they rushed to her room.
- Vasona Creek Healthcare Center said its hospice partner, Direct Hospice Care, mistakenly notified the wrong family after another patient’s death and is reviewing protocols to prevent a similar error.
- The California Department of Public Health is investigating the incident.
LOS GATOS, Calif. – A South Bay family is searching for answers after a care facility worker mistakenly told them their 92-year-old relative had died — even though she was alive.
Nancy Dennis said she received a call on Feb. 9 informing her that her mother, Maryellen Capodiece, had died at Vasona Creek Healthcare Center in Los Gatos.
“I was just in shock,” Dennis said. “And my father, I won’t forget the screams when I called him to tell him she had died. They’d been married for 74 years. And now to think I’ll have to put him through this all again, it’s heartbreaking to me.”…