Elderly woman in nursing home dies after nurse refuses to perform CPR

An elderly woman in a nursing home died after a Nurse refused to perform CPR. A 911 dispatcher pleaded with a nurse at a Bakersfield, Calif., senior living facility to save the life of an elderly woman by giving her CPR, but the nurse said policy did not allow her to, according to a newly released audiotape of the call. "Is there anybody there that's willing to help this lady and not let her die?" the dispatcher asked in a recording of the 911 call released by the Bakersfield Fire Department. "Not at this time," the nurse said. The incident unfolded on Tuesday when 87-year-old Lorraine Bayless collapsed at Glenwood Gardens, a senior living facility in Bakersfield. In the seven-minute, 16-second recording, the nurse told the dispatcher it was against the facility's policy for employees to perform CPR on residents. Glenwood Gardens released a statement confirming its policy prohibiting employees from performing CPR. "In the event of a health emergency at this independent living community, our practice is to immediately call emergency medical personnel for assistance and to wait with the individual needing attention until such personnel arrives. That is the protocol we followed," the statement said. Despite protocol being followed, the nursing home said it would launch an internal investigation into the matter.