Nursing home abuse is a real problem which many people are dealing with. Most times those who take their elderly to nursing homes want to believe that they have put their loved ones in safe homes and where they will be taken care of. Though most nursing homes are well reputed and do provide good services, some of the few are plagued with abuse from nurses and managerial staff. For the elderly, such abuse and neglect can be a source of tremendous psychological and physiological stress. At the old age which they are, such neglect and abuse can affect the state of their health and cause more problems. Some of the most often documented cases are ones pertaining to wrong medications given and overdosing on medications. 
Wrong Medications
At times, some nursing homes become understaffed and nurses tend to be overworked and torn between multiple patients. This causes careless mistakes such as mixing medications between residents. For instance, a nurse or caretaker in the nursing home may have more than one resident to take care of. During medication time, he or she can accidentally and carelessly mix the drugs and give the wrong ones to residents. Instead of the resident with blood pressure to receive the medicine for high blood pressure, he or she receives medication for diabetes or another health problem. When this is done persistently, the resident is not given the right medication and he or she continues to suffer. This unintentional abuse is still a form of abuse that the nursing home must be held responsible for.
Overdoses On Medication
This is a serious problem in nursing homes across the country. Very high levels of nursing homes have been reported to have been overdosing the residents, nearly 17% of nursing home residents have been overdosed on medications. Why does this happen? The answer lies with the staff and the reason behind it is rather chilling. A lot of times when residents are acting up and need restraining, the staff is not legally allowed to bind residents. However, they resort to drug overdose as a method of subduing the resident. Other times, caretakers do not overdose residents, rather they use unprescribed psychotic medication to forcefully subdue residents. This happens especially for patients who are prescribed to psychotic drugs. Overdosing on any kind of medication has profound effects on the body, especially one that no longer has enough strength to fight physical strain. As a result, the resident may begin exhibiting unexplained medical or physical complications.
What To Do In Either of Those Cases
If you have seen the signs that your loved one’s health has been deteriorating without professional medical explanations, consider looking into possible abuse and pursue legal action to rectify the situation. Not only will you be helping your loved one, but you will be helping other residents in the nursing home. Contact a nursing home abuse attorney right away like one from the Law Offices of Payas, Payas and Payas to begin the investigations on whether there has been foul play. Following the investigation, evidence will be gathered and you and your loved one will have legal representation against the nursing home and their wrongdoings.
