The Legal Responsibility of Nursing Homes
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Sending an elderly loved one to a nursing home is never an easy decision, but it is sometimes necessary. Although when we make that choice, we hope they get the care they need from professional nurses and caregivers. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
Whether intentional or not, medication errors are all too common within nursing homes. Nurses and nursing home employees may improperly provide medication or they may not monitor taking of medications correctly, which can cause serious harm to the individuals taking the prescription drugs.
Nursing home residents and family members of residents may be able to file a personal injury case against the nursing home if there is evidence that staff was negligent. Let’s take a look at what this may look like.
What Medication Mistakes Can Happen in a Nursing Home?
There are many mistakes that may appear if nursing home staff is negligent. Examples include administering the wrong medication or giving the wrong dose of medication to a resident, administering the medication the wrong way, or negligently providing a diet that will interact with the drugs the resident is taking.
Physicians at the nursing home may also make mistakes. Because many nursing home patients may suffer from things like memory loss or dementia, it isn’t always safe to take their word when asked what medications they’re taking or if they have any allergies. If a physician does not properly check the patient’s records to see which drugs they’re taking or what allergies they have, they could prescribe something that will interfere with other prescriptions or cause a reaction.
Under law, nursing homes are required to report any injuries that may be connected to abuse or negligence. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean all cases of overdose are reported. If the overdose is not lethal or does not cause serious injury, they may not report it.
Nursing Home Medication Mistakes and Personal Injury
Nursing home staff acting negligent is a form of medical malpractice or medical negligence. If you believe a loved one has been given too much medication or the wrong medication while they’re in a nursing home, contact a personal injury attorney to help you through the process.
The personal injury attorneys at Held & Hines, LLP can help residents of Brooklyn and Manhattan with their nursing home medical negligence cases. To begin working on your case, contact of Manhattan or Brooklyn office for your consultation.
Posted in: Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse, Personal Injury
