Elder Care Lawyer Danbury CT 

Medication errors are one of the leading causes of medical malpractice. They can occur in a hospital setting, doctor’s office, or even in a nursing home. Sadly, medication errors in a nursing home can be catastrophic particularly because of the fragile states of many elderly residents. When a resident of a nursing home suffers injury or illness due to a medication errors, you may have grounds to file a legal claim.

At Sweeney Legal, our elder care lawyers in Danbury CT have been committed to helping elderly residents who have been the victims of medical errors. We understand the repercussions such a mistake can have on everyone involved, including the victim’s family. We ask that you not hesitate in calling an elder care lawyer from our firm to find out what your legal options might be.

What is a Nursing Home Medication Error?

A medication error is considered to be any preventable event of inappropriate or irresponsible medication use that causes the patient harm. The error could include erroneous procedures, labels, packages, dispersion, distribution, administration, education, or monitoring. Once the error is discovered, and if the patient has been injured or has died because of the mistake, it is important to determine the source of the error. If you’re unsure who is responsible for a medication error involving your loved one, one of the first things you should do is call a nursing home lawyer.

The Causes of Medication Errors

There are many people in a nursing home setting who might be responsible for a medication error. Doctors, nurses, and other caretakers might be held responsible for a medication mistake. When a medication error is made in an elderly care facility, our nursing home lawyers commonly find they are result of:

• A poorly written prescription
• Mislabelled medications
• Incorrect prescription directions
• Administration of the wrong prescription to a patient
• Administration of the wrong prescription dosage to a patient
• Failure to account for allergies, underlying problems, other medications, or weight
• Failing to explain proper usage to the patient
• Failing to ensure that the patient takes the entire dosage as directed

Medication Errors in Nursing Homes

These mistakes are serious. Studies suggest that as many as 1 in 5 nursing home residents have experienced a medical error, and of these 37% are a medication error. Most of these mistakes have minor consequences such as nausea, tiredness, or a headache. However, some consequences can be very serious and include:

• Reduced immune response
• Organ failure
• Severe malnutrition and dehydration
• Heart problems
• Blood pressure problems
• High fever
• Changes in mental state
• Seizures
• Internal bleeding
• Medical complications
• Brain damage
• Death

In these types of cases, our lawyers often find that if an employee of the nursing home had been more attentive to the resident’s needs, the medication error would not have happened. When you decide to pursue legal action, you can feel confident in knowing that we work hard to get justice for our clients. We have recovered significant monetary damages for nursing home residents who have been the victims of medication errors, neglect, and abuse.

To find out what legal rights and options you have, please call an elder care lawyer Danbury CT families trust from Sweeney Legal.