Chemical Restraints to Control Seniors in Nursing Homes
If you put your beloved parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle into a nursing home, how would you feel if you found out that the nurses and doctors at the home tied them up to a bed or wheel chair? How outraged would you be if you knew that the people you're paying to look after the well-being of your loved one were physically restraining them just so they would be "less of a bother?" According to a recent report from the American Association for Justice entitled, "Standing Up for Seniors: How the Civil Justice System Protects Elderly Americans," it turns out that what is happening in nursing homes with increasing frequency is not that far off. Instead of using ropes and chains though, nursing homes are using chemical restraints on seniors -- psychotropic drugs that sedate or control behaviors.
According to the Standing Up For Seniors Report, the use of chemical restraints has been on the rise in the last few years. This is very disturbing to note. In addition to the injustice of getting the drug equivalent of chains and a muzzle, the consequences of chemical restraints are dangerous and even deadly for seniors. The use of antipsychotic medication for chemical restraining has been linked to problems like falling, confusion, delirium, hospitalizations, and even death.
In one particularly tragic case, a dementia patient suffered the ultimate price for chemical restraining. The patient, Robert Harris, had been described as "lively" and "energetic" before he entered the nursing home. Those who knew him described him as a regular "grumpy old man." His grumpiness was evidently too much of a bother for the nursing home staff. The doctors categorized him as psychotic and needing to be "chemically restrained." The nursing home placed Harris on two strong antipsychotics which caused him to become "an involuntary catatonic prisoner." He stopped eating and drinking normally and lost 10% of his body mass within a month. The drugs made him go from being active and talkative to drowsy and confused. The drugs made things "easy" for the staff, but they killed Harris' spirit. Eventually Harris developed incontinence and needed a catheter. The catheter was inserted incorrectly, punctured his urethra, and caused a massive infection which eventually killed him.
As the case of Robert Harris illustrates, the abusive use of antipsychotics to sedate and control seniors has very real side effects. In addition to leading to potentially dangerous medical treatments, many seniors are on a variety of other prescribed medications that may interact poorly with antipsychotics. Also, antipsychotics or "psychotropics" were developed to treat people with severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia, not dementia or Alzheimer's. The FDA has warned that there is an increased risk of death associated with antipsychotic drugs in Alzheimer's or dementia patients. Nevertheless, nursing homes continue to use and abuse these drugs. There are cases all over the country of improper and dangerous use of chemical restraints, and these cases are on the rise.
Trial attorneys are helping seniors and their families deal with nursing homes and also tackling problems at their source. Not only are trial attorneys helping patients get freed from these chemical restraints at the nursing home level, they are also successfully bringing cases against huge pharmaceutical conglomerates who have exploited seniors by encouraging the use of antipsychotic drugs that were never intended for nursing home use.
Receiving Justice for Improper Use of Chemical Restraints
Do you think you or a loved one has been the victim of improper chemical restraints? Do you want to know your rights? Want to know what your case is worth? Want compensation? Want justice? Would you like to ensure the same thing doesn't happen to other senior citizens?
If so, call your best friends in the legal industry. Call 800-259-6373. The call is free. The advice may be priceless.
Call a BISNAR | CHASE elder abuse lawyer for a free professional evaluation of your rights by attorneys who have been representing victims of medical malpractice and senior abuse since 1978. You will experience award winning representation and outstanding personal service by a compassionate and understanding law firm in a comfortable environment.
The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.
