Nursing Home Abuse Overdose Death

In 2013, a caregiver at a Bloomington nursing home was accused of negligence after an elderly resident was administered fatal doses of morphine. The resident was allegedly administered 20 times the amount of opiate derivative that is usually prescribed for mentally ill patients, resulting in drug overdose and toxicity and eventually the patient’s death. The patient’s family filed a lawsuit against the nursing home and was awarded $700,000 in the Kentucky medication overdose death.

Federal regulations are in place to regulate the dispensing of medications in nursing homes, so that there is no case of drug overdose or wrong medication. According to the Center for Disease Control, an average nursing home resident is administered a maximum of eight prescription drugs per month in order to help maintain their health. Unfortunately, despite the federal regulations, cases of drug overdose are common, which have resulted in the death of many residents. Kentucky nursing home abuse overdose death attorneys have been helping clients get justice for nursing home negligence.

In another case of nursing home negligence Kentucky, a resident at Nervana’s Caring Hands nursing home was administered 20 times the prescribed amount of morphine. The opiate derivative proved so powerful for the resident that she went into sedation and never recovered from it and died shortly thereafter.

What is Drug Overdose?

An overdose of a drug occurs when a patient takes more than the prescribed amount of the medication. In some cases, massive drug overdose can prove toxic for the patient, resulting in malfunctioning of an organ or Kentucky nursing home abuse overdose death. When a drug overdose occurs in a senior care facility, the resident may show the following symptoms:

  • Confusion
  • Oversleeping
  • Hyperactivity
  • Fatigue/exhaustion
  • Unusual changes in personality
  • Sudden behavioral changes
  • Unusual reclusive actions toward others, including family, caretakers, staff

What Causes Overdose?

More people lose their lives to medication errors than car crashes, accidents, or HIV in the United States. According to a research report published in the Journal of Patient Safety, medication errors kill 210,000-440,000 patients every year in the United States. Drug overdose is one of the prime causes.

The elderly are more prone to medication overdose, as they generally take more prescription drugs, which raises their risk for adverse reaction. Since the nursing home is responsible for taking care of its patients, which includes administering the correct form and dose of medications, any case of drug overdose is considered a serious form of negligence. Fatal overdose for the elderly can result in severe repercussions, often resulting in Kentucky nursing home abuse overdose death.

What Are the Options?

In our opinion, these preventable medication errors make a nursing home and their staff liable for a patient’s suffering. If you or a loved one has suffered in the hands of nursing home negligence Kentucky, you have every right to fight it out in the court of the law. The law of the land gives you the right to seek justice for suffering.

To know more about your legal option to sue a nursing home for medical negligence, call us TOLL FREE at
(866) 447-0150
or contact us online to speak with our team of nursing home negligence overdose death attorneys in Kentucky.

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