By Mark Favaloro, Virginia (VA) Personal Injury Lawyer
What Happened
Lincoln Nursing home received a $100,000 from the California Department of Public Health after an investigation of the death of an 82-year-old stroke patient in the homes cares. The home was issued a Class AA citation for overmedicating the patient with the blood thinner Coumadin. The complaint was issued by Carole Herman, the founder of Foundation Aiding the Elderly on behalf of the patient’s family. The patient had come to the home a year after suffering a stroke in 2005. On May 26, 2011 the patient fell out of his wheelchair and struck his head which caused a black eye and facial bruises. The home retained the man for the next four days until his daughter insisted they hospitalize him. After admission to the hospital they discovered a subdural hematoma, low blood pressure and multiple organ failure. The report also notes the man’s Coumadin levels were 18 times greater than the normal levels. The man died a few short days later on June 4, 2011. After the patient’s death, Herman stated the owners of the home were hit with $29.1 million in elder abuse damages in correlation with the death of another patient at one of its other facilities.
Here is a video from one of our Virginia (VA) nursing home abuse lawyers.
The Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers’ Perspective
It’s very unfortunate the discovery of the over medication in the patient wasn’t found sooner. Tragically neglect, abuse, and misadministration of medicine and medication errors are frequent and serious problems at nursing homes. Studies have shown delayed or missed treatment and the administration of the wrong dose or the wrong medication are the two most common medical mistakes made in nursing homes. These medication errors can cause considerable problems because the patients can be on a number of prescriptions and their physical health is already in a compromised condition. According to statistics for every reported case of nursing home abuse four cases go unreported. This is why is it so important to stay involved and aware of loved one’s condition so you can spot signs abuse as soon as possible. Some of the most common symptoms of overmedication are constant feeling of fatigue, memory loss, reclusiveness, swelling, constant abdominal pain, and a dramatic decline of their overall health, just to name a few.
If a loved one is showing signs of nursing home abuse immediately contact an experienced Virginia (VA) nursing home abuse attorney. A Virginia (VA) nursing home abuse lawyer will be able to help protect the rights of your loved one and help report the issue to the appropriate parties. Proving nursing home abuse can be very tricky, to build a strong case against a nursing home it requires a great deal of resources and lawyers with experience in nursing home law. Our Virginia (VA) nursing home abuse lawyers have successfully represented many elderly residents subjected to nursing home abuse and neglect. A private consultation with one of our Virginia (VA) nursing home abuse lawyers can you give you a confidential analysis of your legal rights.
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About the Editors: Our personal injury law firm has offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). The attorneys with the firm publish and edit articles on three Legal Examiner sites for the geographic areas of Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Northeast North Carolina as a pro bono service to the general public.
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