Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

The shocked son of a couple in an elderly care home who was bringing them food and doing their laundry said staff accidentally gave him a bag filled with dirty nappies and feeding tubes by mistake.

The error was only discovered by Albert Lentze from Eindhoven when he put the bag into his car and drove to a launderette when he then tipped the contents into one of the machines.

He said he was shocked at what he branded a “serious mistake” and added: “I am a somebody with lung problems anyway, and I need to be extra careful. What if I am infected now?”

Albert has been visiting his dad Ben, aged 91, and his mother Bea, 86, in the Passaat nursing home on Strijpsestraat in Eindhoven when the incident happened.

The elderly pair are currently separated from each other in different rooms, and their son is not allowed to visit them, especially since his father caught COVID-19.

But he has been bringing them food and he’s been taking away his mother’s laundry to wash it. But he got a shock with the latest collection when he tipped the contents of the red plastic bag into the washing machine.

He said: “I was planning a wash at 90 degrees as usual but this time when I looked at the contents I realised something was wrong. Then I saw the dirty shift covered diapers, use gloves, feeding tubes and used towels. I was almost sick, it was so disgusting.”

He realised he could not leave it there, and at risk to his own health had to remove it including the used diapers.

He then called police, who told him he could not simply throw it away and that the care home staff need to be called to collect it, which they eventually did with numerous apologies.

He added: “I was told that it was a mistake and they apologised, but I am worried.”

He said he had followed his doctor’s advice and washed his hands extra well and also cleaned out his car but added: “The incubation period is between two and seven days and although I still feel well at the moment, that doesn’t mean much just now.

“I am really angry about this terrible mistake by the care home. Especially given the circumstances I would have expected them to be even more careful than usual.”

A spokesman for Archipel Zorggroep which manages the care home said they “deeply regretted” what happened. The spokesman said: “We are very disappointed that this happened and have now tightened up the procedures in the relevant department. It was a human error. We have contacted the son of our resident and apologised to him. The bag was collected from him.”