Caregiver mistakenly feeds elderly woman dog food
Fri, August 7, 2026 at 1:30 AM
A caregiver in Portsmouth, England, mistakenly fed an elderly woman three mouthfuls of dog food while providing at-home care. A safeguarding investigation later uncovered multiple concerns involving the woman’s care. (AI-generated WKRC photo)
PORTSMOUTH, England (WKRC) – A caregiver mistakenly fed an elderly woman dog food
According to PEOPLE,citing a report from Portsmouth News, a woman described as an “older adult,” and identified only as Mrs Y, was receiving at-home assistance from Radis, a community care company
Per the report, a fall in 2024 left Mrs Y with reduced mobility, meaning she was largely confined to bed and depended on daily visits from home care staff. Portsmouth News reported that the woman suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA), and Radis, which provided home care services on behalf of Portsmouth City Council, agreed that Mrs Y should follow a soft-food diet due to an increased risk of choking
<a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14173-transient-ischemic-attack-tia-or-mini-stroke” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>According to the Cleveland Clinic,a transient ischemic attack is “often incorrectly called ‘mini-strokes,’ but they’re every bit as serious as a true stroke.”
“Having a TIA often means you could have a stroke in the very near future,” the clinic writes in part. “A TIA is a medical emergency you shouldn’t ignore. More importantly, it’s a chance to get treatment that can prevent a future stroke.”
The BBC reportedthat two home caregivers visited Mrs Y’s home in June 2024, and one reportedly cooked and fed her dog food, which was recorded as a “lamb dinner.”Portsmouth News reported that Mrs Y ate three mouthfuls of the dog food before the second caregiver noticed the mistake after seeing the packaging in the kitchen. The caregivers said they tried to contact a senior colleague to report the incident but weren’t able to get a response. A week later, the caregivers reported what had occurred in person, per the report.
PEOPLEreported that Mrs Y passed away one month after the incident in July 2024, with a coroner finding the cause to be “frailty of old age.” The report states that Mrs Y’s family had expressed concerns about her care and complained to the council. A safeguarding investigation was launched into the complaints in April 2024, two months before Mrs Y was fed dog food, and the investigation found the following, per Portsmouth News:
- Radis Community Care staff had recorded visits that never occurred
- Care staff had fed Mrs Y inedible and stale food
- Mrs Y was left “unattended for prolonged periods and on occasions left wet or in darkness overnight.”
- A “Do Not Attempt Resuscitation” paper was found crumpled up in a cabinet
When speaking to the BBC, Portsmouth City Council said that it reimbursed Mrs Y’s family for the cost of her care and provided an additional 1,000 [approximately $1,347]. In a statement to PEOPLE, Portsmouth City Council stated that it had terminated its contract with Radis, writing that the council “no longer work with, or commission services from them,” although the company told the BBC that it had “voluntarily” withdrawn from the contract around the end of 2025
A spokesperson with Radis Community Care said in a statement obtained by PEOPLEthat what occurred to Mrs Y was “wholly unacceptable,” adding that the company was “deeply sorry” and “understand the shock and distress this caused, and we do not seek to minimize or excuse it.”
Councillor Matthew Winnington, a cabinet member for community wellbeing, health and care, issued the following statement to PEOPLE:
“The care described in this report is not the standard anyone should expect, particularly at such a vulnerable time in someone’s life. We have apologized to the family and are very sorry for the distress they have experienced; we know this has been deeply upsetting for the family. These events happened two years ago, and since then we have taken action to strengthen how we oversee care providers. This includes closer monitoring where there are risks, informal inspection and clearer processes for escalating serious issues.”
