Cocaine Overdose Causes Death of Louisiana Nursing Home Resident
The unexpected death of a 42-year-old resident in a Louisiana nursing home created concern among his family members. They questioned the cause of death when a physician, not connected to the coroner’s office, initially determined it to be a heart attack related to the gunshot wound he sustained twenty years earlier. That injury resulted in his need for 24-hour care and was the reason he was living in the nursing home.
No autopsy was performed initially, but due to the concerns raised by the resident’s family members, an autopsy was performed by the corner in the district where the original gunshot incident occurred. The coroner determined that the resident’s death was not due to the previous gunshot injury. A toxicology report indicated the death was due to a cocaine overdose.
After learning about the cocaine overdose, the resident’s family members are alleging that the nursing home was at fault for not knowing the resident had obtained the cocaine and had not prevented him from overdosing. The coroner’s report indicated that the resident died within 15 to 20 minutes after using the cocaine.
The nursing home has not responded to any inquiries about how the resident might have obtained the cocaine.
Police are continuing the investigation of the case.
Compliance Perspective
Failure to prevent residents from obtaining and using illegal substances while they are in a nursing home may be considered neglect and provision of sub-standard quality of care in violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures for preventing residents from obtaining and using illegal substances.
- Train staff members to observe for signs of prohibited drug use by residents and to immediately report suspected instances and concerns that illegal substances are being provided to residents to their supervisor or through the Hotline.
- Periodically audit by interviewing residents, family members, and staff to discern if they have observed or suspect persons of providing illegal substances to residents.
