Wrongful Death Claims for Fatal Medication Mistakes

 Posted on June 30, 2022 in Medication Errors

Providing medication to residents is a huge part of a nursing home’s responsibility. Elderly residents and those with serious medical issues rely on medications to manage pain and symptoms. For many, receiving their prescribed medications is the difference between life and death.

Medication errors can occur for many different reasons, but whatever the reasons, the impact can be catastrophic. Something as simple as mixing up two residents’ medications can lead to fatal consequences.

If your loved one passed away because of a medication mistake in a nursing home, you and your loved one deserve justice. The best way to hold the nursing home accountable may be to file a wrongful death claim against the facility.  

Deadly Medication Errors in Illinois Nursing Homes

Nursing home residents are often already in poor health when they come to a facility. Their bodies are weakened by advanced age or chronic medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes. This means that a medication mistake can be especially hard on a nursing home resident. Mistakes that a healthy person could survive can lead to severe injury or death.

Medication mistakes can take many different forms and occur for many different reasons. Pharmacy mistakes, nursing mistakes, and administrative errors are just some of the causes. Medication errors may involve:

• Mixing up “sound alike” medications with similar names

• Giving a resident too much or too little of a medication

• Incorrect administration method such as providing an oral medication intravenously

• Use of sedatives or antipsychotic mediation as a chemical restraint

• Drug interactions

• Drug allergies

• Improper mixing or preparation of medication

• Improper injection site or procedure

• Not confirming that a resident actually took medication

Holding a Nursing Home Accountable for a Medication Error

Nursing homes have a legal duty to provide competent medical care. This includes providing the correct medications to residents in the correct dosages. If your loved one died because they did not receive the right medication or were subject to another medication mistake, you may be able to sue the facility for negligence. You may be entitled to monetary compensation for damages, including funeral expenses and your loved one’s pain and suffering.

Contact a Cook County Nursing Home Injury Lawyer

Filing a wrongful death claim against a negligent nursing home cannot undo the pain of losing a loved one. However, it may provide a sense of justice and a means of recovering compensation. Contact the Chicago nursing home wrongful death attorneys at Schwartz Injury Law for help. Call 312-535-4625 for a free, confidential consultation.

Source:

https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/index.htm