Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Can Cause Malnutrition and Dehydration
If you or a loved one suffer from malnutrition or dehydration while living in a nursing home, you may have a claim for monetary damages.
Abuse and neglect in nursing homes occur in New York and across the nation with high frequency. Common forms of neglect and abuse in nursing homes often result in the malnutrition and dehydration of you or your family member. For the elderly or infirm, these conditions can have deadly consequences.
If you think your loved one is suffering from dehydration or malnutrition because of the negligence or abuse of a caretaker, it is essential that you seek medical attention. You should also contact an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer in New York to find out if you can hold the nursing home accountable for the injuries that result. Alonso Krangle, LLP can evaluate your situation and help you collect any monetary damages the law allows.
What Is Malnourishment and How Does It Injure Nursing Home Patients?
Malnourishment results from a lack of adequate nutrition and is a prevalent problem in nursing homes. Nursing home residents are usually elderly. They often have physical or emotional ailments that compromise their health. It is essential that they receive a balanced diet, complete with all of the minerals and vitamins their bodies need to maintain health. Nursing homes must consider this when offering food to their residents.
The staff at nursing homes must ensure that residents receive proper nutrition. It is also up to the nursing home operator to supervise the caregivers and make sure they are feeding the patients and granting adequate access to healthy food. An inattentive, careless or abusive caregiver can contribute to malnutrition of nursing home residents.
Relatives and visitors should look for signs of malnutrition, especially if your loved one is not able to express his or her problems. Some signs of malnutrition may include:
- Mental confusion
- Canker sores
- Oral thrush
- Excessive, prolonged fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Always feeling cold
- Inability to concentrate
- Weight loss
- Thinning hair
- Vision problems
- Irritability
If you suspect you or your loved one is malnourished, it may be the result of negligent or abusive conduct by the nursing home. The New York nursing home abuse lawyers at Alonso Krangle, LLP can work with you, fight for your loved one’s rights, and file a claim for damages. It is imperative that you protect their legal rights, they get the care they need and ensure that the nursing home pays for the injuries to your family.
Dehydration in Nursing Homes Is a Strong Sign of Neglect
Dehydration is harmful to everyone, particularly the elderly. Dehydration is caused when your body puts out more water than it takes in. Some of the most frequent causes of dehydration are diabetes, excessive sweating, diarrhea, and vomiting.
For the elderly, dehydration can lead to illnesses which can be fatal. Water intake is essential to the health of patients in nursing homes. Facilities deal with dehydrated individuals daily.
Dehydration is commonplace in nursing homes. It can potentially strike any person with health problems. Operators of nursing homes must have protocols to try to avoid and treat dehydration among their residents. When they fail too address these needs, negligence occurs.
Elderly Individuals in Nursing Homes Often Do Not Realize they are Dehydrated
Patients in nursing homes depend on caregivers and trained staff to provide them with adequate care. When someone is dehydrated, he or she may not even know. Alternatively, someone may be unable or unwilling to speak up about a dehydration concern. Nursing home residents rely on their caregivers to know what care to provide them. When a caregiver does not notice signs of dehydration, ignores them, or fails to treat them, he or she may be acting negligently.
If the nursing home does not train its staff properly, hires unqualified people, or does not provide reasonable supervision, the nursing home may be liable for the negligence of its employees that leads to dehydration and illness. Your nursing home abuse lawyer can help determine who is responsible for the actions that caused you or your loved one to become dehydrated.
When you visit someone in a nursing home, look for early signs of dehydration which may include:
- Constant thirst
- Dry mouth
- Brittle nails
- Canker sores
- Dry skin
- Infrequent, sporadic urination
- Headaches
If you spot these signs, tell someone right away, before the symptoms become more severe and lead to complications.
Signs of severe dehydration may include:
- Low blood pressure
- Hallucinations
- Disorientation
- Inability to sweat
- Panting, rapid breathing
- Confusion
- Inability to concentrate
- Sunken eyes
- Increased heart rate
- Fever
- Extremely dry, shriveled skin
- Unconsciousness
- Seizures
- Kidney failure
- Kidney stones
- Low blood volume
Untreated dehydration can be fatal for an elderly, infirmed person. Nursing homes must ensure that their residents receive the proper amount of fluid to avoid these complications.
If You Encounter Dehydration or Malnutrition in a Nursing Home, Call Alonso Krangle, LLP for help.
The decision to select a nursing home is not an easy one. There are many factors to consider: Will the staff be nice? Will they treat you or your loved one with dignity and respect? Will the nursing home provide supervision, so your family member is safe? Will they provide the necessities of everyday living such as food and water?
These should be questions to which the answers are always and unequivocally “yes, of course.”
The most crucial step in dealing with nursing home negligence and abuse, including malnutrition and dehydration, is making sure you or your loved one is safe and receiving remedial attention. This may require a confrontation with the nursing home. It may also require a call to a New York attorney with experience handling nursing home abuse and neglect cases.
Contact Alonso Krangle at 800-403-6191 today and receive a case evaluation. Find out if you have a claim against a negligent nursing home and what legal rights you have to collect monetary damages.