When a nursing home’s staff in New Mexico fails to live up to the established standards of care for these types of medical facilities, the results can be fatal. One woman in a nursing home neglect case in another state allegedly died at the hands of a nurse at her assisted living facility. The woman’s family said they planned to file a civil lawsuit against the home as a result.
According to the family of the woman, 98, she was rushed to a hospital with morphine in her system, and she ended up dying. Five other seniors were also taken to a medical center and had morphine in their systems as well, although they survived. There was one nurse at the facility on the night the elderly woman died of a morphine overdose. She denied being involved in the woman’s death and said she did not know how the woman had received morphine.
The daughter of the deceased nursing home resident, however, said the nurse had seen the morphine in a drawer and knew of its location. This meant she had access to the drug. They said her motive to give the woman the drug was to lighten her workload. The family alleged that negligence led to their loved one’s death, as the nurse who was on duty by herself on the night of the death was a new employee, had a nursing license that was expired and had received training that was inadequate.
When nursing home neglect causes a loved one to die, the family members of the individual have the right to seek justice through the civil court system in New Mexico. Financial restitution from a successfully litigated civil case cannot restore the life of a loved one. However, it may help to bring closure to such a tragic case.
Source: CBS Chicago, “Family Of Nursing Home Resident Who Died From Morphine Overdose To File Lawsuit“, Dorothy Tucker, Oct. 6, 2015
