Hiding meds in food: illegal?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm new here so I hope I am posting in the right place. My adult son who had a brain tumor removed over 10 years ago is currently physically and mentaly disabled. He lived at home with me for 8 years, but considering my age and diminishing health, I could no longer take care of him. I live in a somewhat isolated area, and their are no places for some one like him. He is not elderly, but I was finally able to get him into a nursing home close by. I became his guardian because the damgae to his brain from having the tumor removed, some what mimics alzheimers, he is very stubborn and he does not have the cognitive functioning that is required to make a logical decison. Being his guardian I reguested that they hide his medication in his food. Unfortunately the head nurse on that wing refuses to do that. She claims it is deceitful and illegal. Because their is a danger of blodclots, he is supposed to take coumadin. Now his feet are all swelled up and I fear he may get a bloodclot and die. But still the nurse refuses to put the coumadin in his food. Other then that it is a good nursing home, and their are no other nursing homes in the area. They are telling me that I am requesting they do somthing illegal. Well I feel refusing to do what I requested (for his survival) is illegal. I fear if I get to persistent they will find a way to transferr him out of there. I don't know what to do?

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
How about we just close this.....

Why? This is a legitimate discussion of an issue that occurs repeatedly.

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Specializes in LTC.
Nurselovejoy nailed it.

Request that the physician write an order. That should make the facility staff comfortable that they are not violating his rights.

If he will not eat the apple sauce then it is a much bigger issue because you cannot physically force him to take the medication. Be prepared (as much as you can) to realize that sometimes a med has to be discontinued in this case. A very, very difficult situation for loved ones and professional staff.

It is very difficult. Tell the nurse some of the foods your son likes. I had a patient that only took her meds in peanut butter cups ( can you blame her) or else we couldn't get any meds in her. Once again the doc would need an order. With these situations it is trial and error until something works .:)

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The nurse should have been in touch with the doc as soon as the first dose was missed. There should have been a 'mix with food' order if that is what Mom was doing before.

Best wishes, mom, take good care of yourself.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

If you are his activated POA, then you have the right to make that decision because it is a medical decision.

i would consult with his physician asap and get an order to do so. That way you are not running into any issues with this.

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Why is this thread even still open? The OP isn't a nurse or a nursing student.

We aren't permitted to give legal or medical advice here?

I believe the OP is looking for some guidance, not medical or legal advice.
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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Why is this thread even still open? The OP isn't a nurse or a nursing student.

We aren't permitted to give legal or medical advice here?

No we aren't but the site allows anyone to voice an opinion. I think the OP was looking for a little guidence or insight. There are CNA's, respiratory therapists, and some patients and their families that alos post here so that they are non medical is not a reason to close the thread. If you think there is something inappropriate....report the thread to the administrators who have the authority to close the thread or leave it......peace:smokin:

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

This is a thread that could lead to a good debate if it wasn't personal to the OP.

The OP should really discuss this with the home as well as the PCP. Because this is personal it can be seen as asking legal and medical advice and as we all know that is a terms of service violation.

I will monitor this thread and see how it continues but it may get closed

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

I hardly think advising her to ask the physician to possibly write an order is legal or medical advice, but helping her find a direction that may provide a solution in the difficult for a layman to understand world of medicine............

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
I hardly think advising her to ask the physician to possibly write an order is legal or medical advice, but helping her find a direction that may provide a solution in the difficult for a layman to understand world of medicine............

If that were the case, though, we could give "guidance" to any of the people that come here and ask for "not medical advice, just what would you do." That happens all the time, and those threads get shut down, for good reason. I don't see this as different.

This site is for nurses. We did, in fact, have a long thread on this topic not very long ago.

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Some people don't know what is considered medical advice >_

Anyway, hiding meds in food is illegal in my state, I don't know about other states. Patient has the right to know what goes in their body.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Some people don't know what is considered medical advice >_

Anyway, hiding meds in food is illegal in my state, I don't know about other states. Patient has the right to know what goes in their body.

Quite possibly so.....and in most states, if not all states, it is illegal to give meds in a secretive manner to fool an alert patient or a competent patient. This is about an incompetent patient that as been deemed by the courts to be of unsound mind and are incapable of making decisions on their own......and therefore have a court appointed person to make the decisions for them. So if the guardian says "hide the pills in his food" they are actually saying "hide my pills in my food". Just like a 2 year old who doesn't want the shot and they are throwing a tantrum you hold them down and you give it to them anyways. Why? because they are not capable of understanding to make a decision based on information at their level of understanding......an appointed guardian is the same thing. It places the patient back at 2 years old and his mother knows what's best and makes decisions....even though an adult body is in the bed.

This is not a confused little ole lady with peroids of confusion....this is a brain damaged individual that need someone to look out for him. I think facilities that don't deal with TBI patients don't understand the full nuances of the injury pattern and the legalities of having a guardian. Just like a legal guardian of a minor......the guardian makes the decisions of the minor and the guardians decision rules. Of course a patient has the right to know what goes in their body ....... If they can understand what that is......

I think the, I believe the OP said "head nurse", needs to sit down with the MD and administrator and figure out a game paln how to care for this patient and exactly what they can and can't do.....I just don't think they have ran across this senario before and aren't aware what they should do..

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
If that were the case, though, we could give "guidance" to any of the people that come here and ask for "not medical advice, just what would you do." That happens all the time, and those threads get shut down, for good reason. I don't see this as different.

This site is for nurses. We did, in fact, have a long thread on this topic not very long ago.

But there are no rules that says other can't join and chime in.......the moderator said they will be monitoring the thread...if you have questions.......pm them.....;)

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