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On the first day of Christmas 2019, Beate Fredriksen (48) had dinner with her 73-year-old mother, Vally Irene Salo, from Kåfjord in Troms.
Four days later, on New Year’s Eve, the daughter, who lives in Tromsø, received a phone call that turned her life upside down.
Fredriksen had tried to reach his mother by phone for two days beforehand, without success. As the clock ticked closer and closer to midnight on New Years Eve, Fredriksen grew increasingly nervous about why his mother wasn’t responding.
Finally, he called the home help service in Kåfjord municipality, where his mother lived.
– “We found your mother dead on the floor,” says Beate Fredriksen about what she said in the phone call.
Be healthy
Fredriksen didn’t understand anything. When he brought his mother home four days ago, she was healthy and in a good mood.
What was supposed to be a perfect start to the new year quickly turned into a nightmare.
– It’s so weird, because she wasn’t sick or anything like that when we had dinner. Also, they suddenly find her dead on the ground, the daughter tells TV 2.
A few days after the heavy message, Fredriksen went to his mother’s house in Kåfjord to find clothes for his mother’s funeral.
Called AMK six times
In the apartment he found his mother’s cell phone. In search of what happened, Fredriksen reviewed his deceased mother’s call log. Then came the shock.
Vally had called the emergency number 113 (AMK) six times in less than 12 hours. No one came yet.
Four days after the last conversation with 113, she was found dead.
SHOCK: The family of Vally Irene Salo, 73, of Troms, was shocked when they reviewed the call log of her mother and grandmother. Here Salo receives a kiss from his grandson. Photo: private
– How can you not see an old woman who calls the emergency number six times? I’m so frustrated, traumatized, and shocked to learn that she’s been lying on her deathbed and trying to get help, but they still don’t listen to her, Fredriksen tells TV 2.
Fredriksen immediately contacted the hospital to investigate what was said in the telephone conversations before the death.
TV 2 has seen the audio record that has been printed between the deceased and AMK. The record indicates that Vally Irene’s condition is not considered acute, so she is referred to the emergency room.
Did not respond to date of birth
It was 5:21 a.m. when the 73-year-old called AMK for the fourth time.
He then explained that he couldn’t get up from the couch. Also, he was unable to account for his own birthday.
AMK: – When were you born? 23.05.46? Hello? Vally?
Vally: – Ha?
AMK: – When were you born?
Vally: – Hello?
AMK: – Your date of birth?
After that question, Vally responds with an incomprehensible babble.
– When you read the audio record, you are surprised. You hear that she doesn’t understand anything about what she’s going to do. This is the fourth time you’ve called and yet they don’t think there is anything wrong. Here AMK should have checked he was safe, Fredriksen believes.
AMK finally gets in touch with the 73-year-old again, and the conversation ends with Vally Irene calling the ER again in a couple of hours.
After this conversation, Vally Irene contacted the emergency room. There they told him that a doctor should call him back. AMK verified this with the ER, which again confirmed that a doctor would call Vally Irene.
In the sixth and final conversation with AMK, about an hour after this, it emerged that the doctor had yet to call the 73-year-old. In this conversation, Vally Irene expressed that she was “full” of the flu, according to AMK.
The 73-year-old woman had had a doctor’s appointment the day before she was found dead in her apartment, but did not show up for this appointment.
– My mother could have been here
According to the daughter, the autopsy showed that the mother died of pneumonia. In a phone conversation with AMK, Vally Irene explained that she had a cold.
– I dare not think about how you have felt lately in life. I am very angry, because now I no longer have a mother and it could have been prevented if someone checked her. A 73-year-old woman doesn’t die without a reason, says Beate Fredriksen.
DEAD: Vally Irene Salo was found dead in her apartment two days after the last sign of life via AMK. The photo was taken at the funeral. Photo: Private
In the audio log, it appears that Vally Irene confirms to AMK that she will contact the emergency room. The daughter does not appear to be a valid reason why the mother was not checked by the ambulance service.
– The point is, she was so confused that she couldn’t call the emergency room, even though she was asked to do so. She calls 113 for desperate help, but they only push her further, says a clearly frustrated daughter.
MISS: For Beate Fredriksen, the loss of her mother was a huge shock. The photo was taken at Christmas two years ago. Photo: Private
– Received adequate medical attention
Beate Fredriksen complained about the follow-up her mother received and the complaint was processed by the Troms and Finnmark County Governor, reaching its conclusion on October 8.
TV 2 has been sent the supervision case. The county governor has concluded that Vally Irene Salo received adequate medical care, but that there were several deviations.
“There are deviations from good practice in relation to the patient calling AMK multiple times. AMK should also have considered contacting the emergency room to make sure they received a follow-up from the local health service, “it says in the county governor’s summary.
“AMK should also better map the level of functioning of patients and find out if she was able to take care of herself,” it further notes.
AMK: – Great compassion
The VET center of the University Hospital in Northern Norway informs TV 2 that they have taken action after the incident.
– It’s terrible that you had such a tragic outcome. We have great compassion for family members. Unfortunately, we do not have a system that allows the ER or AMK to see what the other party has done in terms of contact. After the case, we have decided that you should contact the ER sooner if a patient calls multiple times, says Ellen Dahlberg, AMK department manager to TV 2.
– When a patient calls AMK six times and at the same time cannot explain himself, are there not enough danger signs that the patient needs emergency help?
– In connection with the conversation where it cannot be explained, we contacted the emergency room. When people call multiple times, we must have a lower threshold for contacting the emergency room, to ensure that there is contact with the patient. In this case, we should have called the ER sooner, Dahlberg continues.
The county governor’s report states that AMK will improve its guidelines in the future.
