Nursing Home Patients Drugged with Morphine

A former nurse at a Chapel Hill, NC nursing home has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and patient abuse charges that were culled from actions that led to a patient’s death.

Forty-six-year-old Angela Almore was sentenced to five months and prison followed by two-and-a-half years probation after pleading guilty to the charges. She is also banned from working for any type of health care facility or nursing home.

WRAL reported that Almore gave morphine to at least nine of her patients without telling them what is was. Instead, court documents say she referred to it as “liquid vitamins.” Because many of the patients who received morphine were not supposed to receive any type of pain medication, Almore was accused of giving them the drug just to sedate them and make them easier for her to control.

Almore’s nursing home abuse practices finally turned deadly in February 2010 when 84-year-old Rachel Holliday – an Alzheimer’s patient under Almore’s care – passed away. Her death was eventually attributed to pneumonia-related asphyxiation, and "morphine toxicity" was listed as a contributing factor.

Following Holliday's death, and a number of other incidents in which Alzheimer’s patients who may have been under Almore’s care were hospitalized for various reasons – the nursing home facility increased its monitoring of the facility and tested all staff members in the unit for drugs.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of nursing home abuse, call Sokolove Law today to learn more about pursuing a nursing home abuse lawsuit. Call us today at 800-581-6358.

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