Overmedication/Chemical Restraints

Phoenix Attorneys for Nursing Home Restraint Cases

Nursing homes frequently cut corners to make a profit. In many nursing homes, staff members are overworked and underpaid. They lack the proper knowledge and training to deal effectively with residents' needs.

Because of this, these staff members often promote residents' over use of psychotropic drugs, like antidepressants, tranquilizers, antipsychotics, and anti-anxiety drugs. Used too much or in combination, the combined effect is overmedication — sedation that acts like a "chemical straitjacket" for nursing home residents.

This is never okay. It is why, at the Phoenix law firm of Solomon & Relihan, we take action. Our experienced personal injury lawyers use more than 30 years of experience to hold wrongdoers accountable for harm caused by nursing home restraints.

Improper Nursing Home Restraints

There are two kinds of restraints commonly used in nursing homes: physical and chemical. While physical restraints prevent a person from moving by tying them to a wheelchair, bed, or fixed object, chemical restraints are drugs intended to control a person's behavior.

The use of chemical restraints must be medically necessary and ordered by a physician. When used only for staff convenience, and not to treat an underlying medical condition, using drugs as a chemical restraint is against the law.

The side effects of improper use of chemical restraints are serious. More than limiting a resident's ability to function, the long-term use of chemical restraints can lead to diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, and central nervous system disorders, as well as liver, kidney, pancreas, and other organ damage.

Contact Solomon & Relihan

If someone you care about has been injured by nursing home restraints, take action. Talk to a lawyer about your options. E-mail or call the Phoenix law offices of Solomon & Relihan to schedule a free initial consultation.