When you move an elderly loved one into a nursing home, it’s with the assumption that he or she will receive quality care. At the end of the day, though, nursing home abuse is a very real problem that affects residents at long-term care facilities all over the country. Medication mistakes are one of the most common examples. Here’s what you should know about these kinds of errors so you can protect an aging relative. 

What Are Some Common Medication Mistakes?

There are two kinds of medication mistakes: inadvertent and intentional. Inadvertent errors are those that nursing home staff did not mean to make. For example, they might have misread the prescription and administered the wrong dosage. Intentional errors, on the other hand, are those that the staff is instructed to make to save the facility money. Examples include administering expired medication and splitting pills in half. Additionally, they may fail to give the patient enough food or water to take with the drugs. 

What Should Families Do If They Suspect Nursing Home Abuse?

Nursing home residents deserve quality care from skilled providers. Families are justified in expecting the staff to make neither inadvertent nor intentional mistakes when administering medication. If such errors do occur, your loved one may be entitled to compensation for all resulting damages. 

If you think your loved one is suffering complications because of a medication mistake, document everything that has led you to believe so, and then call an attorney. It is also wise to arrange for alternative care until the issue has been resolved. 

If your aging loved one was the victim of nursing home abuse, turn to the Reed Law Offices PC, LLC. Located in Omaha, NE, this practice was founded by Shayla Reed, a compassionate elder abuse attorney who knows what it takes to hold negligent providers and facilities financially accountable for their transgressions. And because the firm focuses solely on nursing home abuse, you can be sure they've seen it all. To explore just some of the settlements and verdicts they have secured on behalf of their clients, visit their website. Then call (402) 933-0588 to schedule an initial consultation.