Orange County Elderly Medication Error Lawyer

If a loved one has been the victim of a medication error at a nursing home, he or she may be eligible for compensation for resulting injuries. But to have a successful claim, you’ll need the representation of a skilled Orange County elderly medication error attorney. Since 2002, Travis Siegel of Siegel Law has made it his mission to defend the rights of the elderly and assure their voices are heard. Call today for a free consultation at (562) 645-4145.

There are nearly 16,000 nursing homes spread across the United States, and at any one time, approximately 1.5 million Americans reside in them. Due to the advanced age of these residents, the majority of them are on at least one medication, and many are on two or more medications. This can present a problem because many nursing homes and assisted living facilities are understaffed and many of the employees present aren’t qualified to dispense medication or give injections. This dynamic will ultimately lead to medication errors that can cause serious injury or even death.

JAMA Study

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) was conducted to find out how prevalent medication errors were in assisted living facilities. The study involved 36 institutions and the results reveal that medication errors are truly a national concern. Nineteen percent – nearly one in five – doses administered were in error. The most frequent errors, by category, were as follows:

• Medication administered at the wrong time (43%)
• Omission of dose (30%)
• Wrong dose of medication (17%)
• Unauthorized medication (4%)

Common Causes of Medication Errors

An estimated 1.3 million Americans are harmed by medication errors every year. Some of the more common causes for these errors include:

• Misreading of similarly named medications
• Misreading of medication abbreviations
• Misinterpreting quantity of prescribed drug
• Misunderstanding of directions
• Failing to follow all directions correctly
• Labeling medication improperly
• Poor communication within the healthcare team
• Poor handwriting of prescription
• Failing to consider possible drug interaction

If you believe any of the aforementioned scenarios led to the harm of your loved one, speak with a dedicated Orange County nursing home abuse lawyer experienced in medication error cases.

Contact Siegel Law for Help

When you place elderly loved ones in a nursing home, you have a right to feel confident that they’ll be cared for by competent, well-trained, and compassionate personnel. You also have a right to trust that the facility will be adequately staffed, clean, and comfortable for its patients. This is also true when a loved one is admitted into a drug rehab facility.

If you have a family member who was injured by a medication error, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. But, the nursing home and its insurance company aren’t going to just cough up a settlement because you deserve it. They are going to fight you. That’s why you need an experienced Orange County elderly medication error lawyer to handle your case.

Orange County elderly medication error attorney Travis Siegel has been standing up to nursing homes and their insurers for well over a decade and has won his clients substantial settlements. Call Siegel Law for a free consultation at (562) 645-4145.