Elderly Man Dies After Given Ten Doses of Medication at Nursing Home
In Owatonna, Minn the death of an 84-year-old man was declared as “natural causes” until it was discovered that the nursing home facility had neglected to give him his crucial anxiety drug for ten days. The nursing home staff then gave the elderly man 10 doses of the medication at once.
The man’s family was horrified upon knowing the circumstances of their loved one’s death. State investigators concluded that the nursing home was at fault for the medication missteps that preceded the death of the elderly man. The investigation also uncovered that there were 26 omitted does of medication that occurred with multiple employees over several days. The death certificate of the elderly man stated that chronic lung disease was the cause of death but it also noted that the use of Ativan (another name for lorazepam) was among the conditions present at the time of death. Overdoses of that particular medication can lead to a coma and even death is some instances. The nursing home was cited for two federal rule violations and one state violation.
All the employees involved in the medication mishap were terminated according to the nursing home administrator, but is that enough? The family of the loved one has to endure knowing that the death of their family member could have possibly been prevented had the nursing home staff paid better attention to the medications for their residents. If your loved one was harmed by the negligence of a nursing home worker, then contacting a professional to discuss your options for compensation.
