One reason that Chicago residents find themselves in nursing homes and care facilities is because they face challenges with regard to taking care of themselves. Some individuals suffer physical injuries that prevent them from living self-sufficient lives, while others succumb to mental illnesses and neurological problems that affect their abilities to live alone. Under the care of a licensed medical or nursing home, a person should have his physical and mental needs addressed.
Part of receiving adequate care at such a facility is having one’s medications administered correctly. The proper administration of prescribed medications includes but is not limited to giving a patient the right medications in the correct dosages at the appropriate times of day. Failing to meet these basic medication expectations can result in a patient suffering a serious injury from a medication-related mistake.
Receiving the improper medication, whether through an incorrect dosage or simply getting a drug that was never prescribed, can present a person with a host of problems. The individual could have a bad reaction to the drug, or the drug could have a dangerous interaction with another medication the individual is receiving. Getting a medication in too high of a dosage or more times than should be administered can result in a patient suffering an overdose and experiencing potentially life-threatening complications.
Although mistakes are sometimes a part of life, they should not happen when ailing patients are under the care of nursing homes and other health care facilities. Nursing home negligence can lead to overmedicating, administering incorrect drugs and other medication-related mistakes. As part of its personal injury practice, the law firm of Steinberg, Goodman & Kalish works with clients who have suffered improper medication injuries at the hands of nursing homes and their staffs and assists those victims with understanding their legal rights to recovery.