Norfolk Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Cautions of Chemical Restraints

Nursing home staff throughout Virginia are turning to the use of chemical restraints for reasons that are non-medical, including to pacify residents, for convenience, and for discipline. When you visit a loved one, it is not always obvious that he or she is being subjected to abuse in a Virginia nursing home through the use of chemical restraints. Chemical restraints are similar to the use of physical restraints except that you cannot see the vests, straps and belts holding the patient down. With chemical restraints, nursing home staff use powerful psychotropic medications to:

1. Sedate residents
2. Control the behaviors of residents
3. Keep the residents "out of their way"
4. Discipline residents

Most patients are unaware that they are being given these medications. This form of abuse and neglect in Norfolk nursing homes, as well as those throughout Virginia, is on the increase.
Unfortunately, the use of chemical restraints on nursing home patients can have dire results. Patients frequently become seriously ill and need to be hospitalized. In a number of cases, patients have died from the use of chemical restraints. Their elderly bodies cannot handle medications of this magnitude.
If you have seen a change in a loved one in a Virginia nursing home, such as an increase in lethargy, or if your loved one has become delirious, lost weight or become dehydrated, call a Norfolk nursing home neglect attorney so that immediate steps can be taken to protect their rights. Attorney Michael Weisberg believes in the rights of nursing home residents and has been fighting for their rights for decades. Call Attorney Michael Weisberg toll free at (800) 690-0235 or complete the contact form on this page to speak with a Norfolk nursing home neglect lawyer before it is too late.