Patient struck by car, inquest told

An elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease was struck by a car when she wandered on to the road outside the nursing …

An elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease was struck by a car when she wandered on to the road outside the nursing home where she was a patient, a Dublin inquest heard yesterday.

Mrs Lucy Lytton (73), of Ardeeshal Lodge Nursing Home, Glenageary Road Upper, was struck by a car outside the home and died two weeks later in St Vincent's Hospital.

A post-mortem showed that her death was due to pneumonia, a complication of her immobility following the accident. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and recommended that patients suffering from Alzheimer's should not be allowed to leave premises without the staff being aware.