My mother recently died in a Nursing Home and I believe that she was over-medicated with Ativan. What should I do?

Was there an autopsy with toxicology reports? Do you have medical records that someone that knows what they are looking at can read and decipher?

No autopsy was done because we believed that it was natural death. i am in the process of getting the medical records but have to go through the estate process because i don't have a medical POA.

I would presume you have a sound reason to suspect something went wrong at the nursing home. Do you know of any similar concerns with other residents? I would assume that you have already found that ativan is detectable/quantifiable after death and is not affected by the embalming process. If you are the only child/nearest of Kin, you can request the Court to exume your mother's body for an autopsy at your expense. An attorney can certainly facilitate the process. If you have real evidence, folks with personal knowledge, other incidents at the nursing home, if your mother was basically in good health at the time, documentation, etc., you can go to the local district attorney or file a police report and perhaps the state will handle it for you. But, you need evidence to get that process started. Whereas, with authority, you can petition to do it yourself.

thank you for those ideas, i did not think of any of those things. i will definitely look into it.

Sweetie, what makes you suspect she was over medicated? Do you think it may have caused her death? Why were they giving it to her?

she was an alzheimers patient and was very aggitated and aggressive, she had recieved it on numerous occasions so that staff could "deal with her better." she was in pretty good shape one day and the next day after being aggressive several times with new staff, she just died quietly while sitting in her chair.

Have you thought about what you will do if you find that this is true? If you take legal action, these cases can be drawn out for years and, in the end, only the lawyers benefit. If your wish is to call attention to this lapse in the facility's system, that might be worthwhile.
It is so hard to prove these things....and the medical community has ways of hiding the truth. I would hate to see you go through even more emotional turmoil.
I am so sorry to hear that you lost your Mother and have these lingering questions to deal with.

I don't think something like Ativan could cause death, it is only to relax you and not be so agitated it is for restlessness.

Did she have any kidney or liver disease..the warnings are not to take it if you have those.

An overdose of ativan can be fatal. There can be numerous issues contributing to death. However, only a medical examination can determine the true cause of death. so many elderly folks die without knowing the true reason of death. Frankly an autopsy is not all that appealing but it can be definative. the key to elder abuse is to do something about it, not only for your loved one and yourself but for the benefit of society at large. No legal inquiry or action is pleasant. You do need to be determined to fight for what you believe or just don't waste the effort. Best case scenario is to let the state bear the burden in the courts. and, knowing the actual cause of death can benefit the living in terms of their proclivity to the get the same diagnosis. Perhaps things can be changed before it is too late. there is a need to be very strong and resolved. The course you are thinking about is not for the timid or quesy or weak.