How to Tell if a Loved One is Overmedicated
Admitting a loved one into a nursing home is never easy. When it becomes inevitable, though, you should not have to worry about them being neglected or abused. The majority of nursing home residents require medications of some sort and it is critical that nursing home staff members know how to dispense and administer these medications properly. Still, there are times when staff members overmedicate nursing home residents. If you believe someone you love has been overmedicated in a nursing home, it is important to speak to a Tampa nursing home abuse attorneys.
How are Nursing Home Residents Overmedicated?
Nursing home residents can be overmedicated either accidentally or intentionally. Overmedication occurs when a resident is given, or takes, more medicine than what is appropriate or necessary, or more than the amount prescribed by a medical doctor.
Accidental overmedication can happen for a number of reasons. Some of these include:
- Improper communication between physicians and nursing home staff members
- Untrained staff members having difficulty administering the medication
- Complications in the resident’s medication regimen
Residents can also be intentionally medicated when a staff member administers too much of a medication. Intentional overmedication can also occur when a nursing home resident is given a mediation that was not prescribed to them. Intentional overmedication typically occurs because nursing home staff members want to make residents easier to control.
How to Determine if a Nursing Home is Overmedicating a Resident
It is essential for loved ones to watch out for signs of overmedication in nursing homes. Abnormal behavior can indicate that a resident is being overmedicated. Some of the most common signs of overmedication are as follows:
- Behavioral changes such as confusion or lethargy
- Sleeping for extended periods of time
- Unexplained medical conditions
- Reclusiveness
Being overmedicated can have very detrimental effects on a person’s safety and well-being over time. Residents can develop physical ailments as well as psychological and emotional conditions. As the medication builds up over time, it can build up in the individual’s system. This can lead to very serious medical conditions such as a heart attack or stroke.
It is not uncommon for nursing home residents to take ten or more medications every day. Each of these prescriptions will have side effects that can adversely interact with other medications. Usually, physicians determine a balance that will work best for the nursing home resident. When a person is overmedicated on just one of their prescriptions, it can throw the entire balance, which is delicate to begin with, off balance.
Our Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys in Tampa Can Help After Overmedication
If your loved one is in a nursing home and you believe they may have been overmedicated, you do have legal options. At Kohn Law, our Tampa nursing home abuse attorneys can advise you of what those are and guide you through the process so your loved one can obtain the full and fair compensation they are entitled to. Call us now at 813-428-8504 or contact us online to schedule a consultation and to learn more about how we can help with your case.
Source:
leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0400/0400.html
