Caretakers are supposed to be there to easy your loved one’s pain, not steal that relief from them. But that’s what several recent cases from Minnesota are showing: caretakers being caught using painkillers intended for patients and nursing home residents.
Most recently, a staff member at Birchwood Arbors assisted living in Forest Lake stole a Fentanyl patch from one patient and is suspected to have stolen medication from two others, according to the Star-Tribune.
And that’s the least grotesque of the cases in question.
Another involved a northwestern Minnesota nursing home nurse peeling painkilling patches off the backs of cognitively challenged patients, then sticking the patches to his tongue. He would then return the patches to the patients’ bodies, according to the Star-Tribune.
The Star-Tribune describes Fentanyl as “a potent narcotic analgesic used to supplement general anesthesia or to treat long-term or chronic pain requiring continuous relief. The opium-based medication is seldom used outside of hospitals because it is powerful and fast acting. It’s considered 80 times stronger than morphine and highly addictive.”
In other words, it’s a drug that exists only for the people who really need it.
The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents clients in cases involving catastrophic injury caused by nursing homes and other care facilities that fail to provide proper care. If you believe your loved one has been harmed due neglect or abuse in a nursing home, take action and contact the Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
