When the term “Nursing Home Abuse” or “Nursing Home Negligence” is spoken, many people think of physical abuse which result in bumps and bruises or someone not receiving the care they need for their medical condition.
Recently, the Chicago Tribune performed an investigation on Illinois nursing homes which uncovered a type of abuse that might be an afterthought in facilities, medication abuse. The investigative report found over 600 instances of residents being given psychotropics without the consent. A psychotropic drug is define by Medterms.com as the following:
Psychotropic drug: Any drug capable of affecting the mind, emotions, and behavior. Some legal drugs such as lithium for depression are psychotropic.
Bullet Points and findings from the report:
- A resident was held down and given a anti psychotic then later suffered a fatal head injury due to a fall.
- A female resident was given a drug partly because she refused to wear a bra.
- An 87 year old male resident was given drugs because he was “easily annoyed.”
- The report found 1,200 violations involving medications.
- The report found 2,900 residents were affected.
- Two-thirds of Illinois facilities were cited for violations that involved psychotropic drugs.
To read the full report from the Chicago Tribune, please click here.
