Overmedication and Nursing Home Abuse in Virginia and West Virginia

Virginia (VA) Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Offices in VA Beach, Hampton & Elizabeth City, NC 
 

When we think of nursing home abuse, a few common images enter our heads: an elderly man suffering from bedsores, a neglected senior tied down with restraints, an unsanitary room, or a verbally or physically abusive nursing home staff member. However, there are much more subtle types of nursing home abuse that may be easy to overlook. For example, hundreds of nursing home residents across Virginia (VA) and West Virginia (WV) are the victims of nursing home and assisted living overmedication.

Overmedication of elderly patients serves several purposes for nursing homes. Patients who may struggle with memory problems, dementia, or other behavioral problems can be overmedicated so that they will not "cause trouble." In other cases, patients may be overmedicated simply so that the negligent staff of the nursing home will not have to bother with patients who are awake or mobile.

In still other cases, patients may be overmedicated so that they cannot communicate their other abuses to visiting friends or family members. Nursing home patients may be overmedicated so that they can be taken advantage of - through nursing home physical abuse, nursing home verbal abuse, or nursing home sexual abuse. Staff members may even be using medication to take advantage of their patient's financially.

If you think that a loved one may be suffering from nursing home overmedication, look for warning signs:

· Your loved one acts more distant than usual or spends much of the day sleeping or in a stupor.

· Staff members avoid questions related to your loved one's medications or medical history.

· Your loved one suddenly seems glazed over or in another world when he or she is usually awake and alert.

· Indifference toward your loved one by nurses or staff members.

· Other changes in behavior, such as eating patterns, sleeping patterns, or general mood.


In order to find out more about what medications your loved one is on and why, ask questions and get involved. The overmedication of seniors can significantly lower their quality of life - not to mention lead to serious health problems and even death.

    

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia (VA) injury law firm whose attorneys focus exclusively on personal injury and accident law. We have a proven track record in the court room, and you can review our case results to see for yourself. Our attorneys have deep roots in Virginia and handle cases throughout the commonwealth including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton and Suffolk, VA. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA if you've been seriously hurt by another person's carelessness. 

Virginia injury lawyers Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Rick and Jim have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, making them among the 5 percent of lawyers so honored. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our Virginia Beach accident injury firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill. 

We alsooffer free special reports and edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard blog sites as a public information service.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to the high call volume, please leave a voicemaul and we will get back to you shortly. 

     

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have extensive experience handling medical malpractice and doctor mistake cases. Please take a few moments to review our medical malpractice case results. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia, including Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Suffolk, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by the carelessness of a doctor, surgeon, nurse or pharmacist.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Also, Rick and Jim have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers are chosen for this professional honor.

Members of our VA personal injury law firm have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA medical malpractice firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

We offer free special reports on the Top 10 Tips from a Medical Malpractice Insider and the top five surgical errors you must know about. 

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can return your call.