The hospital my grandma was just in gave her a medication, Haldol, without consulting my mother who is her POA. Is this illegal?

They Can Give her what they want If the case deems that she needs to calm down . Haldol is extremely strong and does Put people to sleep . She would have been better off with a Valium.

No- Your grandmother was admitted to the hospital for care, so her POA would have signed a consent for treatment. Haldol may not be a first line drug for agitation with dementia, but you note that she had never had it before. They may have tried it because her other intolerances ruled out using the more commonly prescribed meds. If she gets admitted again, it might be worth requesting that she have a sitter with her overnight if she gets restless or agitated. There's only so much the staff can do--using a med to help her settle in isn't an unreasonable first step. I agree that it's vexing to have her upset and scared, but like you wrote, she's been through a lot and this may or may not be due to the Haldol.

When a patient is under medical care in a hospital or facility and is having problems it is the DOCTOR who is called. Not the family.
If the doctor ordered medication it will be given by the nurse.

NOW it is up to the POA to be certain that an allergy to haldol is added to her medication list so it is not given again. THEN if they order it they are at fault. When she is admitted the intake RN may ask "what kind of allergy to Haldol does she have" and the answer will be "severe combativeness and anxiety".

These drugs do have side effects.
A POA is not called every time a medication is added to a patient's list unless that is the agreement made between the POA and the Doctor. IF your Mom is POA she should now make clear that she wishes any and all new medications discussed with her as POA as your grandmother is unable to act in her own behalf. This should be added to her care plan with EVERY ADMISSION anywhere, as it won't travel with her autoatically through different doctors and facilities.

Haldol is often prescribed for people in hospice to decrease agitation, however it can have a paradoxical effect in many patients and in this case should be noted in the medical records as an allergy.

Haldol is a chemical straight jacket. AND there are cases where the elderly patient who was given Haldol had a heart attack and died a few days later. Especially since there were alternatives available on record, I would at least file a complaint, but I would try to sue too. The problem with suing is, What are the patient’s damages? She’s old, doesn’t work, sick. Nursing home, ER docs (my experience with my mom) just don’t care about such a person; your grandma and others in her stage of life are dispensable.

In my 98-year-old mom’s case, she was writhing and screaming in pain. They ignored the pain and were going to give her Haldol despite my protestations as her HPOA. Then I called the patient advocate, whose only job is to protect the hospital, not the patient. I don’t know if it was coincidence or if the fact that the patient advocate just by virtue of being there, but mom got a room upstairs and better doctors.

These Haldol - pushers are not good doctors AND take advantage of the most vulnerable.

Alva Deer is right on point. In the hospital, it is the doctor who is in gharge of medications, not the family.

When my Dad and Mom had a bad reaction to a strong drug I had it added to their allergy list. This prevented them being given those drugs again.

No, I don’t think it is Illegal when she has been left in their care. Once admitted a patient becomes the hospitals responsibility, that’s why they have to release a patient to a safe environment and in the case of incompetency, like your grandmother, they have to release into the care of someone that will take on that responsibility. You certainly have a gripe and your mom would have an even bigger gripe if she said don’t give her Haladol but I’m not sure you would win a law suit unless it was listed as an allergy.

On the issues you now see with your grandmother; my mom was also recently in the hospital and we never left her alone, one of us (her children) were with her all the time, sleeping there in the chair next to her so when she woke up confused she always had a familiar face. After about a week there was an obvious change in her mental health and she developed a psychosis that isn’t uncommon for elderly patient's, particularly ones with some dementia, to develop when hospitalized. She has been home for over a month now and she is still on an anti-psychotic which is helping a lot but has taken quite a bit of adjusting. Your grandmother may have some form of that as well, having nothing to do with the Haladol so I would urge you to take her to a geriatric psychologist who can determine if she needs medication or not and what would be best if she does. For future reference you can ask that geriatric psychology see her in the hospital too so that they then have some control over any psychiatric drugs she is given. I learned this the hard way.

mdennis99: This was the Hospitalist's call, not the POA's. However, this medication should be added to your grandmother's allergic reaction list.

Unless you have the ENERGY, TIME, MONEY, MONEY , ENERGY… and proof this damaged your GM, and all that legal stuff….,
it may be with the while…
maybe I’m just tired…
I could’ve had a lot of litigations… maybe i should have..
I don’t know…

You can't do anything about it now. It was a hospital, she didn't die and she didn't get hurt. However, you can get her PCP to put it in writing and on her official record, to try to ensure she doesn't get the medication again.

In addition, look for another hospital that deals with elderly patients. The next time she has to go to the hospital, "demand" that she needs to go there rather than the other hospital.

My Mom went into a large, federally funded hospital in early June. To "calm" her agitation, they administered Seroquel. They found a 4-year old prescription that we had never filled and they just assumed it worked. They ended up putting her in "soft" restraints because she got more combative after the Seroquel. The problem with the restraints is that here, most care homes will NOT take someone who has been in physical restraints for the last 24 hours. Luckily, the people at my Mom's care home knew the type of person my Mom was and allowed her to return without waiting the 48 hours, which exposed more than a few lies within the hospital system. There were so many things wrong with that stay, I just wanted her out of there.

Fast forward to September and my Mom is hospitalized for sepsis. This time we are in a hospital that is elderly-friendly. Again, my Mom goes through the combative, biting, etc stage. However, this time, I can stay the night. I noticed that they have put up padding on the rails of my mother's hospital bed. They have also taped a huge note to her bed saying that she was in the hospital. Again, to calm her agitation, they give her Seroquel. Again, it does exactly the opposite. However, due to the padding and the height of the hospital rails (6-8 inches), my Mom doesn't have the strength to climb out of bed (ingenious!) Because I am there, they ask me to buzz if I need anything, and just to let her tire herself out. 7 hours later, my Mom finally goes to sleep. No restraints needed and no need for the nurses to check in on my Mom during this time. Instead of giving her a shot that reduces the chance of blood clots, they put her legs in sleeves that help move the blood in her legs (My Mom refuses compression socks.) What a difference in the hospital stay.

My Mom remembers the second hospital stay as a big party. In fact, she said she had a great time and was hoping we could go back there again. I told her that it was too expensive of a place and hoped we didn't have to return. She was sad...for a moment.

So, what I would suggest to you, is to start researching other hospitals in your Grandmother's area. See which ones will allow you to stay overnight. See which ones are preferred by the elderly or specialize in the elderly. See which ones have doctors who actually like talking to the patient's "advocates." Yes, all hospitals are low on staff. However, the ones that are elderly friendly, will have policies, procedures and equipment that are flexible enough to deal with the nuances of elderly patients.

To me, the question is not if something is legal or not. The answer is whether what they do does more harm to the patient or not.

It's legal IF there is a doctor's order. Was it a LTF? If so there may be standing orders for all patients in a confused state. She may have been confused enough that she may have been combative or difficult to control verbally. Check with her doctor on record.

It's legal IF there is a doctor's order. Was it a LTF? If so there may be standing orders for all patients in a confused state. She may have been confused enough that she may have been combative or difficult to control verbally. Check with her doctor on record. Whether it's a long-term facility or acute, it's the doctor who is called first, not the family or POA. IF there wasn't a doctor's order or standing facility order from a doctor, then it's illegal and ONLY then. IF she weren't harmed there's no recourse other than to ask that it not be administered again.

It is not illegal for a doctor to prescribe medication to help a patient - for any condition - that the patient is experiencing while in the hospital. It is not illegal to give a patient a new medication to handle a problem he/she is having. Haldol is not only used to treat the mental health issue you wrote about. It is used to help patients that are experiencing agitation to relax. It is one of a few medications that can help somebody who is too agitated to rest or is having an aggressive moment. Any medication can have side effects. The most common ones every medical staff person knows. Occasionally, a person may have an usual side effect. This will become apparent after the person receives the medication. There is no way of knowing this outcome beforehand.

SO, the best you can advise your mom to do - is to inform the staff of the problems grandma had with this medication. The facility and your mom can get a copy of your grandmother's hospital record to see exactly what medications your grandmother received and any unexpected reactions she had to medication. Medications that caused documented adverse reactions (see list for each medication) should be noted as an "allergy" in your grandmother's record.

I would ask to speak with the physician in charge or someone who can review the whole course of your mom’s hospital stay with you. Unfortunately many things can cause abrupt changes in behavior in patients with dementia, including the change in environment (hospital admission), whatever illness lead to the hospitalization, any medication or medication withdrawal, change in routine/schedule and just the dementia itself. Even the sweetest people can become aggressive and violent. You have my heartfelt sympathy for what you are going through.

Could you imagine how much of nothing would get done if doctors had to call patient families every time they administer a med while patient is in the hospital?

It probably was not illegal. Maybe your Mom should make it clear with those medical staff that she wants to be informed before any new medications are given if she goes back to the hospital and with her current facility and doctor. My Dad, Step-Father, and friend all had bad reactions with Haldol. It gave them horrible anxiety and made them aggressive and mean. I know what you are going through. Unfortunately, medications often have to be adjusted regularly with dementia patients as the disease progresses.