Continuing an alarming pattern of irresponsibility, a California nursing home settled a lawsuit which alleged it often prescribed drugs without consent, according to the Ventura County Star.
Vcstar.com reports a third-party monitor will watch the Ventura Convalescent Hospital in an effort to ensure patient safety. The lawsuit involved 205 former patients under the care of nursing home physician Gary Proffett. It alleged powerful drugs were administered without consent, including antipsychotic drugs, according to Vcstar.com.
AARP came to the plaintiffs’ side. Lead plaintiff, Kathi Levine, whose mother, Patricia Thomas, had Alzheimer’s disease, said her mother was prescribed drugs without her consent after moving in following a broken bone. Levine’s mother died soon after being discharged.
The plaintiff’s lawyer told the Ventura County Star the ruling has already changed the care with which Ventura Convalescent handles patients: “If it causes other people to be aware, we’ve made a good start.”
“It is highly likely the hundreds of patients in…facilities located in Ventura County would still be receiving psychotropic medications without informed consent,” Ventura County Superior Court Judge Kent Kellegrew said, according to Vcstar.com.
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catastrophic injury caused by nursing homes and other care facilities that fail
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