Signs of Chemical Restraint Abuse in Nursing Homes
Caring for the elderly can be a very rewarding job, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without its challenges. Regardless, our parents and grandparents deserve to be treated with the utmost care and respect in their vulnerable years. They depend on caregivers to meet their physical needs, and in some cases, their mental and emotional ones too. Most seniors take at least one prescription drug to treat or manage health conditions such as high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, or depression.
Without stating the obvious, there are appropriate and inappropriate uses of prescription medication. While psychiatric or psychotropic medication is commonly used to treat mental illness, Medicare and Medicaid programs both prohibit chemical restraint, as does Washington State law. The potential for overuse and abuse as well as injury, harm, or death to the patient is just too great.
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When to Call a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Many elderly persons end up needing some form of care; adult children and spouses are often tasked with the decision about whether to move their loved one into a nursing home but some seniors go by their own choice. The sad reality is that not all nursing homes have well-meaning, well-trained, or responsible staff to care for their patients. An estimated two to four million senior citizens are abused every year at the hands of their caretakers.