Have you heard of nursing home abuse? Unfortunately, this is a real issue that many elderly people deal with on a daily basis. The truth of the matter is that many people put their trust in nursing homes and when they enroll their loved ones in these homes they want to trust that they will be taken care of.
Even though most nursing homes provide services that help thousands of older people to live their lives, any home can employ nurses or staff that are abusive and secretly torment their patients. Even a reputable home may have a few of these bad eggs working and this abuse and neglect can be a tremendous source of physiological and psychological stress. It may result in feelings of depression, physical damage, and even injury or death when medications are not administered properly.
If you or someone you know or love is dealing with this type of issue or has in the past, you don’t have to stand for it. Contacting a lawyer should be one of the first things that you should do. Read on to find out more and educate yourself about this issue and what you should do if you discover evidence of abuse in a nursing home.
Negligence or abuse in a nursing home or retirement home can manifest in different ways. Such places can become understaffed or have employees that are working long hours and have a lot on their plates with multiple patients they are taking care of at once. This can cause mistakes to occur. When it comes to things like medication, the errors can result in sickness or even death.
A caretaker or nurse may accidentally mix up medications and distribute the wrong ones to patients. So one patient that may be taking a pill for high blood pressure gets a pill for someone with a heart condition, and that medication may interact negatively with their body, not to mention the fact that they don’t get the correct medication that they need for their condition. Even when done accidentally, this can qualify as abuse.
Overdosing on medication can also be considered abuse. Over 17% of residents in a nursing home have been “over-served” when it comes to medications. However, this chilling mistake may not be as accidental as it seems at first glance.
Many nursing homes cannot restrain residents, but giving them too much of a medication (technically a premeditated drug overdose) may subdue them and make them more sedated. Patients might be given antipsychotic drugs that they are not prescribed for this purpose– clear and obvious abuse. An overdose of such medication can have profound effects and the patient may show evidence of medical/physical complications as a result.
Contact a lawyer right away if you or someone you know is being abused. Legal action is the best thing you can do as it will protect your loved one and others from this situation. The Law Offices of Payas, Payas, and Payas wants to represent you in your abuse case. Contact them today for a consultation and get the justice you or your loved one deserves.
