A scary trend in nursing homes is to give unnecessary medications to residents with dementia in order to sedate them and make it easier for the staff to take care of these residents. Alarmingly, this is happening in nursing homes all over the country, including in Los Angeles, California.

If you suspect a loved one is receiving unnecessary medications, this may be nursing home abuse. You should contact a lawyer that has experience handling cases involving nursing home abuse, such as the lawyers at The Peck Law Group. The nursing home abuse attorneys at The Peck Law Group have successfully handled many nursing home abuse cases and are very skilled in this area of law.

Use of Antipsychotic Drugs as Chemical Restraints

This type of nursing home abuse involves the use of antipsychotic drugs for the convenience of the nursing home staff, essentially used to sedate the resident they are caring for to make the caretaking tasks they are performing easier to manage. Some caretakers at nursing homes also use these drugs in order to discipline a resident.

History of This Form of Nursing Home Abuse

The use of unnecessary antipsychotic drugs on nursing home residents has a long history, going back to 1975. This abuse was acknowledged in a report by the Senate that year entitled “Drugs in Nursing Homes: Misuse, High Costs, and Kickbacks.” In the last ten years, there have been multiple manufacturers of antipsychotic drugs that have faced criminal and civil penalties for improperly branding their medications as acceptable treatment for elderly individuals with dementia.

Now, the Food and Drug Administration requires manufacturers to place a black box warning on the packaging of these drugs to recommend that they not be used for treatment for dementia patients. Despite this warning, the use of these drugs in nursing homes is still a problem and rises to the level of abuse. The Peck Law Group can help you fight back and get your loved one the compensation they deserve.

About the Author

Attorney Steven Peck has been practicing law since 1981. A former successful business owner, Mr. Peck initially focused his legal career on business law. Within the first three years, after some colleagues and friend’s parents endured nursing home neglect and elder abuse, he continued his education to begin practicing elder law and nursing home abuse law.