Can a NH give antidepressants without telling the patient or family?

They did the same when my mom was in nursing care. I was quite alarmed at one of the care home meetings how ignorant the staff were about my mom's conditions and medication requirements.

In my experience with rehab, an assessment is done shortly after a patient arrives, The in-house doctor reviews the med list, and also in my experience, adds meds sometimes typical for older people, and/or what that in-house doctor believes a patient of specified age and with specified conditions MIGHT need.

After learning this, I made it a point during the admission process to make it clear that I intended to discuss what meds were used in the hospital and what meds the treating in-house doctor might want to add. I am anti-medicine except when specifically needed and abhor the practice of doping up elders b/c some doctor thinks it might be needed.

I knew my father better than any of the staff (including doctors) could, and I knew that he was a strong person who took meds only when it was absolutely necessary. Generally he refused them, especially if they were mood type meds.

My sister (a nurse) also took this position when in rehab after hospitalization for near respiratory failure when her cancer began to accelerate rapidly. I also took that position when I was hospitalized for an emergency appendectomy a few years ago. The nurses' approach changed from "we're giving you this medicine" to "do you want this medicine"?

You have every right to know what meds are being prescribed, and ON WHAT BASIS.

Check with the nursing home doctor. He/she is usually in charge of adding medications.

Who is your moms dr? The dr needs to order the medication. Maybe the NH thought the communication came from the dr??? All my moms med changes was communicated from her NP who saw her at the memory care…

I was not consulted when medication changes were made for my mother so I can understand - I was furious, especially because I knew mom's medical file was very cursory and incomplete. There has to be a prescribing doctor so that is the person I'd most want to talk to if I was in your shoes, as well as raising a big stink with the director of nursing.... informed consent is supposed to be a hallmark of modern medical care!