NURSING HOME RESIDENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS ARE AT RISK OF NURSING HOME NEGLECT
Your loved one was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis before she entered a nursing home. While she was living at home, she took medication and stayed on top of her treatment for this painful and potentially dangerous disease. Now that she is in a nursing home, however, you may worry about whether she is getting the rheumatoid arthritis treatment she needs.
A study published in the December 2017 publication of Rheumatology International found that appropriate care for rheumatoid arthritis is not always provided to older people, and the risk of insufficient treatment increases for nursing home residents. According to an abstract published for the National Institutes of Health, “Treatment by rheumatologists and prescription of antirheumatic drugs decreased significantly in the year after admission….Patients without rheumatologic care are at high risk of insufficient treatment for their RA. Admission to a nursing home further increases this risk.”
WHAT ABOUT YOUR LOVED ONE IN A KENTUCKY NURSING HOME?
The study provides a warning to nursing home residents with rheumatoid arthritis and their families. You can help your loved one by making sure she remains under the care of a rheumatologist, she is provided with all of her prescribed medications at the right times, and that she is provided with a nursing care plan that is carefully followed.
If the nursing home fails to provide her with the right medical care or fails to give her the right dose of her prescribed medications at the right times, your loved one may be the victim of nursing home neglect.
Signs of nursing home neglect could include increased pain and swelling. Rheumatoid arthritis may impact not only the body’s joints but also critical organs such as the heart and lungs. Therefore, it is essential that anyone with rheumatoid arthritis get the right medical care and treatment.
If your loved one did not get the rheumatoid arthritis treatment she needed in a Kentucky nursing home, you can help protect her rights by contacting a nursing home neglect law firm. Our experienced lawyers and staff nurse will find out exactly what happened to your loved one and why. If your loved one suffered pain or her medical condition got worse because of nursing home neglect, we will fight hard to get her, or her survivors, fair and just compensation. Call us for a FREE consultation to discuss your case.