Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

My personal experience as a Missouri Nursing Home Lawyer is that far too many nursing home residents are overmedicated by those responsible for providing quality care. In my job I often meet with residents and their families in nursing homes. On some of those occasions, the residents simply could not wake up. Their eyes fluttered as though they were struggling to wake up and participate in the conversation happening around them. Sadly, the government has determined that my experience is not unique.

The U.S. Department of Health and Senior Services recently prepared a report entitled Medicare Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Claims For Elderly Nursing Home Residents that found that too many nursing home institutions failed to comply with regulations designed to prevent overmedication. It is well known that prescribing antipsychotic medication to elderly residents with dementia is potentially lethal, yet 88% of these individuals receive such prescriptions.

Family members must make certain that they know what medications their loved one is receiving. They must educate themselves on the medications and the proper dosages. They must regularly ask questions of the caregivers and insist upon answers. Family members must know what the possible side effects are and should closely monitor their loved one for any signs of side effects.

Why would a nursing home overmedicate a resident? First, to be fair to the nursing home industry, many times the overmedication is completely unintentional. Elderly residents are more much more susceptible to overmedication than are younger people. The second reason is an indictment of the nursing home industry. Overmedicated residents do complain and are, therefore, easier to care for with a reduced staff. Residents who ask to be taken to the restroom, or who need more water or need help walking down the hallway often require assistance from staff members. When a nursing home operates on reduced staff (as most nursing homes do) drugged residents are easier to manage than those who are alert and active.

If you are concerned about the care your loved one is receiving in a nursing home, call our St. Louis personal injury lawyer David Terry for a free consultation at 1-888-317-2525.

Alesha Neault faces two felony counts of unlawfully possessing a controlled drug and two misdemeanor counts of abusing a facility resident after she reportedly removed Fentanyl patches from two nursing home residents. Neault allegedly kept the patches for her own use.

What is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller that is 100 times more potent than morphine. Typically used to help control severe, persistent pain, such as postoperative pain or pain due to cancer, the Fentanyl pain patch delivers a controlled dose of the drug through the skin into the bloodstream over a period of three days.

Sadly, drug addicts are misusing the pain patch. Nursing homes often use the Fentanyl pain patch to help keep their chronically pain-ridden residents comfortable. As you read above, some nursing home employees are stealing Fentanyl patches from their defenseless residents and leaving them to suffer excruciating pain so they can use the patches themselves. Reportedly, drug abusers are able to withdraw the full dosage of the drug and take the entire dose at one time, either through injection, ingestion, or smoking.

New Hampshire police are investigating a case of possible elder abuse at The Elms in Milford. The resident, an 87 year old man suffering from dementia and diabetes, died on July 10, 2009 at the facility.

The police were summoned to the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center on June 28, 2009 by hospital personnel concerning the condition of the man's wounds. The man had serious sores on his legs that had been wrapped in Ace bandages. Apparently, the bandages had not been changed in so long that skin had grown over the bandages. Additionally, the man's catheter was blocked with blood, his genitals were extremely swollen, and he had cuts and abrasions on his body.

Hospital personnel told police that during a previous admission, the man's catheter tube had been wrapped so tightly around his leg that swelling occurred.

The resident's children have agreed to allow police access to his medical records. Police contacted the Medical Examiner's Office and stopped the man's scheduled cremation. An autopsy was expected to be performed shortly.

The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at (888) 317-2525 or visit our website at www.nursinghomejustice.com.

Licensed nursing assistant Melissa Dunham, 32, received 45 days in jail for stealing drugs from a nursing home resident at Courville at Manchester nursing home in Manchester, New Hampshire. Dunham pled guilty to stealing a narcotic patch from an 86 year old resident and keeping it for her own personal use. Of note, the narcotic patch is more powerful than morphine and is used to treat severe and chronic persistent pain. One can only imagine the pain the resident felt as a result of this theft.