It’s often said that Americans take too many medications, and that some of these are unnecessary. Nursing homes take the issue of medication too far in order to manage sometimes difficult residents. These facilities are more often than not understaffed, and with a number of individuals suffering degenerative conditions such as dementia, staff can be pushed to their limit when it comes to offering timely and personalized care. That being said, overmedication should never be a resort in an attempt to gain control or order in a nursing home setting.
Antipsychotics Raise Death Risk in Senior Citizens
Senior citizens are sometimes given sedatives to calm them down if they are in an agitated state. However, giving these individuals antipsychotics in the hopes that they will comply with regulations is a travesty and a dangerous one at that: this is because antipsychotics have been shown to cause untimely death in patients suffering from dementia. Drug companies provide health professionals with kickbacks so they can prescribe these medications to large swathes of nursing home residents, an unethical practice in itself.
Here are some signs of nursing home overmedication:
- Slurred speech during visits
- Withdrawn stance
- Balance issues
- Confusion
- Fatigue
- Skin rashes
- Weight loss or gain that is sudden
- Hallucinations
- Secondary bacterial infections
Overmedication is mostly about to control. This usually says a lot about the nursing home that does this. They might be hiring incompetent staff that don’t know how to handle difficult residents, or they simply don’t care about providing adequate care to patients, only caring about their bottom line. In addition, some nursing homes don’t believe in holistic care even in cases where it is apparent that the resident may benefit from emotional support instead of overmedication.
Legal Help for Nursing Home Abuse
As the son, daughter or relative of a loved one in a nursing home, it is your responsibility to ensure that they are receiving quality care in a safe environment. It is also your responsibility to ensure that these nursing homes are held accountable for any negligent actions they perpetrate.
Need help on how you can sue for money damages? Please call us today on 877-561-3004 for your free and confidential consultation. Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you.