It takes a certain kind of cruelty and maliciousness to steal medicine from the sick. Medication theft is a growing problem in American nursing homes. Some staff members see their duty to dispense pain medication as an opportunity to line their pockets with drugs. This is truly disturbing. Medication theft in nursing homes must end.
A Serious Crime
Medication theft is a crime and one that affects a great number of nursing homes across the country. Taking another person’s prescription medication is not to be taken lightly. As the American opioid crisis worsens, more people are willing to steal from the elderly and sick to get their fix.
Nursing home staff are charged with taking care of those who cannot care for themselves. Yet many of them abuse this power, falsifying medication logs and betraying the trust of those in their charge. Medication theft is more than a crime; it is a breach of medical ethics and an abhorrent, immoral act.
Life and Death
When nursing home staff steal someone’s medication, they’re doing more than committing theft. They are depriving a person in need of the thing that will make them feel better.
Some seniors need opioids to manage the pain of weak joints or other injuries. In other cases, criminal staff members might not know what they’re stealing. They might take all the senior’s pills and look through them later, depriving the senior of medication they need to survive.
Medication theft is a big issue in nursing homes. Ending this problem starts with you. Anyone who visits a nursing home should ask their loved one about the facility and look for the signs of nursing home abuse. Warning signs like missed medication, bedsores, and mood changes might signal something far worse.
If someone you love suffers from nursing home abuse, you might have a case. If you’d like to schedule a free case consultation with an experienced Virginia personal injury attorney from the Obenshain law group, please don’t hesitate to send us an email or call (540) 318-7360.
