Nursing home residents often develop pneumonia. Pneumonia is a common infection that is too often deadly in the elderly. Pneumonia is just one of the many medical ailments that afflict nursing home residents. Family practice physicians taking care of elderly residents often prescribe a variety of different medications with different dosages.
Administrations of medication is the responsibility of the nursing home and its personnel. Frequently, the medication prescribed is not given in the correct dosages, which can be harmful or deadly to residents. Some residents can develop toxicity symptoms from overdosing with prescribed medication. The overdosing of prescription medicine can lead to side effects such as shortness of breath, other complications and even death.
Nursing home residents and families must be aware of all medication prescribed to the resident. To double check what nursing home personnel is prescribing, it would be appropriate to ask if the medicine given is correctly dosed. That question should be posed often, especially if family members notice a change in dosage or in the medication itself.
Long term facilities are invaluable to those in need, but sometimes these nursing residences are overcrowded or understaffed. Those conditions can lead to unintended consequences. Families and friends of residents must be watchful that the nursing home’s personnel are strictly following a physician’s prescription orders.
Kreisman Law Offices has been handling nursing home abuse and nursing home negligence cases for individuals and families of nursing home residents, for more than 37 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Aurora, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park, Melrose Park, Elmhurst, Villa Park, Oakbrook Terrace, Yorkfield, LaGrange, Willowbrook, Bedford Park, Alsip, Blue Island and Calumet Park, Ill.
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