“New research shows that nursing homes and assisted-living facilities across the state often are failing to protect seniors from thefts of highly addictive painkillers – with thousands of pills being stolen every year by people entrusted to care for vulnerable residents. The consequences are devastating: Many seniors have suffered needlessly for long periods without knowing the cause of their misery.

“In the last eight years, more than 11,300 medications, primarily narcotics for treating pain, were stolen from at least 368 residents of nursing homes and assisted-living sites across Minnesota, according to a soon-to-be-published study. In some cases, oversight is so lax that thefts go undetected for months, resulting in a dozen or more victims at a single site. On average, the thefts took place over 56 days with more than 30 doses stolen per resident, according to the analysis of 107 substantiated reports of drug diversion investigated by the Minnesota Department of Health.”

–Chris Serres, “Minnesota senior homes are besieged by staff stealing pain medications,” Star Tribune 31 July 2022, 10:41 a.m.

Where were the pain meds that the hospice nurse ordered months before?  Did the pharmacy deliver them?  A few weeks earlier, I’d been told that the original Ativan order hadn’t been filled.  Now the morphine was missing.  I put in a query to the hospice team: should I follow up?  The order had been filled the next morning.  It was dealt with.  Should I have pursued it?  I don’t know.