Overmedication or Under-medication
Most, if not all, nursing home residents take medications for a variety of conditions, whether minor or serious. Receiving the appropriate amount of medication is an essential aspect of regulating a resident’s physical and mental condition, and is something for which the nursing home staff is responsible. Unfortunately, there are many instances in which a staff member fails to provide the appropriate amount of medication, resulting in serious harm coming to the resident. In these situations, the person responsible for the over- or under-medication may be held financially responsible.
Dangers of Over- and Under-medication
Getting too much or too little of medication can have many different negative side effects on a nursing home resident. For instance, some of the possible side effects can include:
- Extreme discomfort or pain
- Vomiting, diarrhea, or a stomach virus
- Loss of consciousness or coma
- Internal organ failure
In the most severe cases, giving a resident too much or too little medication can result in their undue death. Each medication prescription is meant to specifically target a certain condition, and any variation from the amount prescribed can have dangerous, even fatal, consequences for the person taking the medication.
Contact Us
Almost all incidents of overmedication or under-medication in nursing homes result from the negligence or carelessness of nursing home employees. Our attorneys of the Sampson Law Firm believe in holding such negligent workers responsible for their errors; thus, if your loved one has suffered due to being over or under medicated, call us today at 502-584-5050 to learn more about your legal options for pursuing justice and compensation.
