An article on the WRAL webite today reports that an excessive amount of morphine contributed to the death of a patient in the Alzheimer’s unit of Britthaven of Chapel Hill nursing home.

In February, patients were drug tested when managers expressed concern about the way the patients were acting. Of 25 Alzheimer’s patients, nine tested positive for opiates. (Morphine is a type of opiate.)  Three of the patients were removed from the nursing home and hospitalized, and one of those patients–Rachel Holliday–died on February 16, 2010. On autopsy, the medical examiner found extremely high doses of morphine in Ms. Holliday’s system, even though she was not scheduled to receive that medication at all.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is still analyzing evidence in the case; the medical examiner did not rule out homicide.

Everyone at HensonFuerst is outraged and heartsick at these findings, and our prayers go out to the family members affected. Britthaven of Chapel Hill has been providing substandard care for a long while, as evidenced by its Medicare rating: an overall 1 out of 5 stars. It is also a “Special Focus Facility,” which means that they have a history of persistent poor quality of care. Every patient deserves the best possible care, and Britthaven of Chapel Hill has not been keeping up with the implicit promise made by every special care facility: That they will take care of your loved one.

Obviously, there has been a serious disconnect somewhere along the way. Is the staff undertrained or incompetent?  Do the corporate heads not care enough improve the facility?

HensonFuerst is also investigating cases involving Britthaven of Chapel Hill nursing home patients receiving opiates. If you are concerned about a loved one who resides in this or any other facility, please give us a call. We want to help.

You can reach our nursing home abuse team by calling 1-800-4-LAW-MED.

An Arizona jury last Friday awarded a landmark verdict of $11 million to the widow of a 36-year-old man with traumatic brain injury who died after ingesting foreign objects while in the care of Liberty Manor Residency, a Phoenix assisted living facility. The verdict included $2 million for the decedent, $5 million for the wife and $4 million in punitive damages. It was the largest verdict ever awarded against an assisted living facility in the United States. Autopsy results showed a number of items – including plastic bags, unopened ketchup packets, candy wrappers and paper towels – were found in the patient’s stomach and small intestines. Punitive damages are designed to punish egregious misconduct; the HensonFuerst Nursing Home Abuse lawyers believe punitive damages are often necessary to effect change.

According to Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California, “We found examples of residents being punched, choked or kicked by staff members or other residents.” Waxman’s findings include the abuse and death of Helen Love, who was attacked by a certified nurse’s assistant at a Sacramento facility.  “He choked me and went and broke my neck and broke my wrist,” said Love, who died two days after her interview. Her assailant got a year in county jail. CBS News learned and reported that three other employees at the same Sacramento facility had been convicted for abuse, which should have barred them from nursing home work.

Click to read the entire story from CBS News.

Eric Larrabee, 24, of Madison, Wisconsin, slapped an 85-year-old patient who died 10 days after he slapped her across the face on Feb. 10, 2008. Larrabee then appeared to a former co-worker to have a “look of enjoyment” on his face, said Assistant Attorney General Eric Defort, who prosecuted the case. Larrabee, who was originally charged with one felony count of patient abuse, pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts of misdemeanor battery.
The other incidents involved grabbing and twisting the woman’s arm on other occasions. Viewers to the Henson Fuerst nursing home blog are encouraged to demand that the facilities to which they entrust family and friends for long-term care conduct criminal background checks and psychological evaluations on all caregivers in their employ.

Click  to read the complete story from www.tmcnet.com