Marian Hollingsworth: Medical Abuse of My Father & becoming a patient advocate

Hosted by Marti Oakley & Debbie Dahmer

My father, Keith Blair, went into the hospital in July of 2009 for diagnosis of back pain. Without our knowledge or consent, he was given a cocktail of Risperdal, Haldol, Ativan, Tylenol with codeine, and Morphine. When I asked the doctor about this, he said it was just "hospital delirium,"  Sent to a  nursing home, my father was given more antipsychotic drugs, along with double doses of AmbienCR, the long acting version of the drug. He ended up with the bad side effects of these black box drugs such as heart trouble, severe dehydration and kidney trouble, and sudden diabetes. He also contracted a MRSA eye infection which spread to his lungs, fell 7 times in 12 days and developed a bedsore. (He was only in the nursing home 18 days.) He ended up a second hospital due to heart and kidney problems, where the same nursing home doctor treated him.) At the second hospital, he was given daily Risperdal, and we were told to prepare for his death. When I went through the records later, I discovered that a cardiologist said he was improving and that he could be released to the nursing home in a few days.

2. How to get ALL the records.

3. Your rights in a hospital or nursing home as a patient or family member. Know the codes in your state so you can use them. if needed, if facilities try to violate these rights.

3. Dealing with the health department for complaints. Your rights in a complaint. The complaint in my father's case resulted in a new policy from the health department, AFL 1108. It mandates that nursing homes must verify that patients on antipsychotic drugs being transferred from hospitals have informed consent forms in their records, and if not, that informed consent must be obtained before the drugs can be given.

4. Dealing with the medical board for complaints.