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Did you know that forms you sign when you or a relative enter a medical facility could signal your consent to take whatever drug is prescribed—even antipsychotics that could harm your health or be used to control behavior?
It's a nightmare that Marian Hollingsworth experienced firsthand. Her father, admitted to a California hospital for back pain, had a sudden mental decline that only worsened when he was transferred to a nursing home. Physical complications followed; he died less than two months later.
Only after closely studying her father's records did Hollingsworth learn that upon admission he had been prescribed the antipsychotics Risperdal and Haldol—along with opioids and tranquilizers—and that many of his symptoms seemed to be complications of those drugs.
One signature, obtained days after admission, was all that the hospital—and later, the nursing home—needed to dispense the drugs and to add others. Outraged, Hollingsworth filed several complaints with her state health department and contacted the media. The result: A new state policy requiring nursing homes to verify informed consent for antipsychotic drugs used for patients who are being transferred from a hospital.
Now Hollingsworth has joined Consumer Reports' nationwide Safe Patient Project. Learn how to protect yourself and those you care for at SafePatientProject.org.
Know a consumer hero? Fill us in on the advocacy champions you admire most. Write to us at heroeswatchdogs@cr.consumer.org.
Recreational off-highway vehicles look like golf carts on steroids; they can reach speeds greater than 30 miles per hour. They're meant for fun, but in the past decade accidents have killed 335 people—and injured 506 more. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently proposed new safety standards for the vehicles and has asked the public to weigh in. Go to regulations.gov and enter docket number CPSC-2009-0087.
Late last year, the Federal Trade Commission alleged that AT&T misled millions of smart-phone customers, charging them for unlimited data while slowing its speed by as much as 90 percent. Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, thinks that the company hasn't been transparent about that practice, called "throttling," which pushes consumers into more expensive plans. If you think that your provider has turned down your data speed, you can report it at ftc.gov.
Reverse mortgages may be the wrong choice for some seniors, but you'd never know it from the ads used to sell them. Get the facts on these and other products that can separate you or a loved one from money or property by going to ConsumersUnion.org.
This article also appeared in the February 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
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