Psychotropic drugs play a useful role in nursing homes’ care of residents. Used to treat seizures, treat mental disorders, and manage psychiatric conditions, nursing home staff can administer these substances in a well-planned, well-executed manner that results in a better-run facility and happier, healthier residents. However, sometimes nursing home staff’s overuse of psychotropic drugs to keep residents sedated and less troublesome can create great discomfort and potential dangers.
If your loved one is a resident at a nursing home in Phoenix, AZ and has suffered from overuse of psychotropic medication, you may be eligible for compensation. A Zanes Law overuse of psychotropic medication lawyer in Phoenix, AZ will do everything from A to Z to investigate your loved one’s experience and see that your family is compensated for the nursing home’s negligence.
Call us at 866-499-8989 for a free, no-obligation case review.
Understanding Psychotropic Drugs And How Nursing Homes Use Them
Psychotropic drugs alter a person’s mental state. They can be quite potent and, despite their value in the medical world, quite addictive.
Examples of these drugs include:
- Tranquilizers
- Antipsychotic medications
- Sedatives
- Antidepressants
- Any mood-altering drug
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, nursing home staff can administer these drugs inappropriately. The drug’s presence in a nursing home is to manage the resident’s condition, with close monitoring, and under the direction of a psychiatrist or doctor.
According to the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 nursing homes can use psychotropic drugs to restrain residents only in cases where such administration of the drug resolves a safety risk.
For a free legal consultation with a overuse of psychotropic medication lawyer serving Phoenix, call (866) 499-8989
When Nursing Homes Misuse Psychotropic Drugs
The problems begin when nursing home staff administers psychotropic drugs in a negligent manner, which can cause catastrophic medical and emotional damage for the residents.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than half of nursing home and assisted living residents have dementia or some other cognitive impairment. Residents in this mental state can prove challenging for nursing care staff. They might tend to complain frequently and refuse to follow directions.
Sometimes, staff members grow impatient with this lack of cooperation. They determine that by dosing such a resident with psychotropic drugs, they can more easily control the resident. They use the drug as a constant mental restraint, rather than work with the resident with patience and compassion.
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