Nursing Home in California Fined for Overmedicating Patient Which Led to Death

The California Department of Public Health fined a Lincoln nursing home $100,000 for overmedicating an 82-year-old stroke patient, who died from complications in 2011.

The citation was a Class AA citation, the strongest that the California Department of Public Health could impose on a nursing home. The department’s report stated that Lincoln Meadows Care Center gave the patient too much of the blood thinner Coumadin.

The patient had a stroke in 2005, which made him immobile, and he entered the care of Lincoln Meadows a year later. Foundation Aiding the Elderly founder Carole Herman filed the overmedicating complaint on behalf of the patient’s family with state regulators.

On May 26, 2011, the patient fell out of his wheelchair and hit his head, suffering facial bruises and a black eye. Herman said, “He should have immediately been hospitalized after his fall.”

Four days later, the man’s daughter insisted that the care facility take the patient to a hospital. He was found to have a subdural hematoma, low blood pressure, and multiple organ failure. His hospital admissions records show that the amount of Coumadin in his blood was 18 times the normal level.

He had been transferred to a Roseville nursing home for comfort care, and died on June 4.

At the time, the nursing home was owned by Horizon West Healthcare, which had been hit with a multimillion dollar elder abuse lawsuit in 2010. The facility is currently owned by Plum Healthcare of Rocklin, which could not be reached for comment.

Overmedicating Patients is Not a New Problem in Nursing Homes

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that 17% of nursing homes give patients too much medication. Many cases of overmedicating patients involve antipsychotic drugs, given to patients in larger-than-necessary doses and often to patients who have not been diagnosed with psychoses. Close to 40% of nursing home residents are given antipsychotic drugs despite the fact that they do not need them.

It is important for the family and friends of nursing home residents to recognize when the facility is overmedicating their loved one. Symptoms can include:

• Erratic or unexplained change in personality and behavior
• Sudden reclusive actions (even toward family members)
• Fatigue or exhaustion
• Oversleeping
• Medical complications or other unusual physical symptoms
• Loved one appearing easily confused

Overmedicating patients is a very serious problem, and there is no excuse for giving vulnerable adults too much medicine. According to the Food and Drug Administration, about 15,000 nursing home residents die each year from overmedicating on antipsychotics.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Overmedicating Cases and Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes

If you or a loved one have experienced elder abuse in a care facility, including when the care facility is overmedicating the patient, you do not have to suffer in silence or wonder if the facility is doing the right thing. It is important to take a stand against nursing home abuse, and the attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. We offer free, confidential consultations so you can discuss your concerns about your loved one’s care with impunity. Contact us today. 803.252.4800.