California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
Nursing home residents in Oakland, California, and throughout the Bay Area often require a wide range of medications on a regular basis, and in particular dosages. Residents of assisted-living facilities also may need assistance with medication administration, although assisted-living facilities do not provide the level of medical care that nursing homes provide. In either type of location, medication-related mistakes can result in the facility being liable. Facilities can also be liable whether staff members unintentionally made an error, as well as in circumstances where medications or devices are intentionally withheld from residents. Our Oakland nursing home neglect lawyer can explain in more detail.
Common Medication-Related Errors and Injuries in Nursing Homes and Assisted-Living Facilities
Medication-related mistakes in Oakland nursing homes and assisted-living facilities can take many forms. As we noted above, assisted-living facilities do not provide medical care as nursing homes do, but they can assist patients who need help taking certain medications and other forms of medication management, for example. Common medication-related errors in these facilities include, but are not limited to:
- Prescribing a medication that has harmful interactions with another drug the resident currently takes;
- Administering a medication at the wrong time;
- Administering the incorrect medication altogether;
- Administering the wrong dosage of a medication; and/or
- Withholding a necessary medication.
Medication Management Problems and Facility Liability
Whether your elderly loved one resides in a nursing home or assisted-living facility in Oakland or elsewhere in the Bay Area, it is important to know that a facility can be liable for the mismanagement of medication, and that this is a common problem in nursing homes throughout the country (and in fact the world).
According to a study published in the journal BMC Nursing, medication management — including mistakes in the administration of patient medications — is now a common problem in many nursing homes, and errors and injuries are actually increasing. While many medication administration errors are linked to non-licensed staff members, even licensed nurses and other health care providers can make errors due to organizational issues, burnout, and understaffing. When medication management mistakes occur, the results can be debilitating and even life-threatening for elderly residents.
Contact Our Oakland, California Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyers for Assistance
If you have any concerns about medication issues and related neglect, it is critical to seek legal advice. When a nursing home or assisted-living facility in the Bay Area fails to provide a resident with the medication or medical care they need, the facility can be held accountable — even if the failure was unintentional. Medication mistakes, and especially medication administration errors, happen much too often. When an elderly nursing home resident or resident of an assisted-living facility does not receive the medication they need or the correct dosage, they can suffer serious harm. One of the experienced Oakland nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at our firm can assist you with your questions concerning medication errors and nursing home negligence. Contact the California Nursing Home Law Group today to discuss the details of your case and to learn more about how we help elderly nursing home residents and their families in the San Francisco Bay Area and across Northern California.
See Related Blog Posts:
Catching Fall Hazards in Sonoma County Nursing Homes
Keeping Up-to-Date on Nursing Home Abuse Signs in Solano County
