South Carolina Nursing Home Lawyer & Attorney : Poliakoff & Associates Law Firm : Elderly Care, Senior Care

Newport News Dailypress.com had an article about a suspicious death of a resident of a nursing home.  There appears to be a link between his death and medicine he got the day before.

A nurse who gave unauthorized medicine last week to a nursing home resident who later died has been fired.  Police are considering whether the medication caused or contributed to the death of John P. Stratton, 76, of Newport News, who was staying at the James River Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center.  Stratton was given the medicine on May 5, and died about 4 a.m. on May 6.

The nurse's decision to give Stratton the medicine was not an accident.   "She intentionally gave him the medication," police said. "Her intent in giving it to him will have to come out later."

Police are trying to find out whether Stratton was given an increased dose of a medicine he was prescribed, or medicine he wasn't supposed to get at all.

Joseph Law, James River Convalescent's administrator, said the nurse — whom he declined to identify — was fired after an internal investigation. The actual reason for her firing, Law said, was separate from the issue surrounding Stratton's death. "The nurse was terminated because of facility protocol," Law said. "During our investigation some other information was discovered." He did not elaborate. What a bunch of nonsense. Clearly the facility does not want to admit what happened or what they found out in their "internal investigation". 

It could take a month or longer for the toxicology results.  The examination will include any possible interaction between the medicine the nurse gave him and other drugs Stratton was taking.

One of Stratton's daughters, Denise Barnes of Newport News, said the family doesn't know what drug or drugs the nurse gave her father.   A staffer at the home brought to his attention the possible link between the medication and Stratton's death. He then called police and state agencies.

I'm surprised they didn't fire the staffer who refused to cover it up.

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Tucson Citizen had an article about a recent jury verdict where a jury awarded a Tucson family $6 million for a death involving an 81-year-old relative who died of a morphine overdose.  Mary Culpepper and two other relatives were awarded $2 million each.  Culpepper sued Manor Care, TMC, a doctor, nurse and pharmacy over the Dec. 8, 2003, death of her mother, Sylvia Culpepper.

She was admitted to TMC on Dec. 2, 2003, suffering from sciatica, a painful nerve condition.
On Dec. 4, 2003, she was prescribed 15 milligrams of morphine twice a day. Two days later, her dosage increased to 30 milligrams, twice a day.   When Culpepper was transferred from TMC to Manor Care, prescription orders contained both dosages.

The Manor Care staff failed to note the discrepancy in the prescriptions and gave her both dosages, both twice a day causing her death.  An autopsy determined that Culpepper died of acute morphine intoxication.

According to the jury's verdicts, the doctor, nurse and pharmacy weren't to blame for the death. The nursing home had the ultimate rersponsibility for the medications given to the resident at their facility.

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This article shows how some employees will not cover up neglect and abuse in nursing homes unlie the majority who are more loyal to their corporate masters than the residents they are bound to protect.

June Dankert was 87 and in good health when she died May 10. For the previous two years, she lived at the Tendercare Nursing Home in Hastings.  Her family said she wrote dozens of letters to loved ones each week to help keep her mind sharp.

After the funeral, an anonymous phone call raised questions.

June's daughter, Kay Trantham, told 24 Hour News 8 a woman from Tendercare called to tell the family how Dankert really died.  "When you go into a coma with no apparent reason, you do wonder," Trantham said. "Apparently, she was given her roommate's hospice medication."

The caller told Trantham there was a delay in getting her mother to the hospital, followed by a cover-up.

Documents obtained by 24 Hour News 8 from the state Department of Community Health divulge more, and confirm dates and stories about "resident number 402" - Dankert's resident number in paperwork provided from the state to Trantham.

The investigation shows multiple citations because Resident 402 was given medication meant for someone else. Resident 402 soon lapsed into a coma and died. Family and emergency room doctors were not notified of the mistake.

Records also show conflicting nurse notes on May 9, from the early morning to the afternoon when Resident 402 was finally taken to the hospital.

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The family of Florence Pierpoint, a 79-year old nursing home patient who was killed while in the care of a Tacoma nursing home, filed a lawsuit after a medical examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by a morphine overdose.

The complaint  includes charges that the facility's staff failed to administer medications according to the physician's orders and neglected to monitor Pierpoint's condition. 

Pierpoint was transported to the facility after returning from a stay at a local hospital where she was treated for pneumonia she acquired in the nursing home.

On November 2, 2004, records show a sudden and drastic decline in Pierpoint's condition, noting confusion and disorientation. The nursing home's response was to administer additional doses of morphine and Xanax, a powerful anti-anxiety drug.  Later that day, Nisqually staff reported that Pierpoint was becoming increasingly restless and they administered additional morphine.

"I noticed my mom's dramatic slide, from awake and aware to nearly comatose," said Linda Fox, Pierpoint's daughter. "I raised these issues with Nisqually's staff, but they chose to ignore my pleas."

Pierpoint died less than one hour after the additional morphine was administered.

"Florence's family is adamant that the nursing home and the responsible staff be held accountable for their actions," Meyers said. "Their deepest fear is that other patients could be at risk." 

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