Lexington Malnutrition and Dehydration Lawyer

When you have a loved one in a nursing home, you trust that they’ll properly be cared for and that no harm comes to them. When a resident is neglected in a skilled nursing facility, however, one of the most common occurrences is they become malnourished and/or dehydrated. Both conditions can lead to detrimental health issues, even if the conditions are minor. They often cause a chain of failing health conditions that can make it almost impossible for a full recovery.

If your loved one is in a situation where you feel they aren’t getting the food or hydration needed to stay healthy and feel the condition is being caused by neglect or abuse, you should know that you aren’t alone. You can seek legal assistance. Our Lexington malnutrition and dehydration lawyers can stand up for your rights and represent your loved one.

First, let’s learn more about the dangers of these two conditions and how they can be prevented in skilled nursing facilities in Kentucky and nationwide:

The Dangers of Malnutrition and Dehydration

While everyone can suffer from malnutrition and dehydration, seniors are more susceptible to they affects, and their health may quickly decline. Many seniors in a nursing home may not be able to get themselves food or water on their own and could need help with eating and drinking.

When a senior doesn’t get the food they need, they’re missing essential nutrients that help maintain their health and keep illnesses and injuries at bay. Seniors who aren’t getting proper meals and healthy snacks may see noticeable effects in their brain, eye, mouth, muscle, and skin function.

A senior’s cognitive abilities will not operate well without proper nutrition. Their ability to think and stay focused will decline. Eyes show signs of redness, glassiness, and the corneas can become swollen. The mouth can exhibit malnutrition through redness, canker sores, and sometimes white patches from a yeast infection on the tongue and cheeks. Malnutrition leads to muscles weakening and fatigue. This is especially dangerous because it makes elders more prone to falling and sustaining serious injuries. A malnourished senior may have yellow or dull skin.

You should also know about what dehydration does to seniors. They will have symptoms like feeling dizzy, weak, confused, and having a dry mouth. Their heart rate may increase as well. When a senior isn’t getting enough water, their kidneys may also be affected. In extreme cases, the kidneys could fail.

Now that you know about what these issues can cause, you’re probably wondering how the nursing home lets this happen to your loved one in the first place. Let’s look into how seniors can become malnourished and dehydrated while in a nursing home.

How Do Malnutrition and Dehydration Happen in a Nursing Home?

Staff in nursing homes have many responsibilities. Some of them may include helping seniors eat and drink, as some could have swallowing issues or memory problems that prevent them from getting regular food and water. If the staff is inattentive, a senior could miss a meal or go without drinking water for a long time.

This can happen because the nursing staff may not have the necessary numbers to give each resident the care they need, but this is no excuse. When discussing the matter with your nursing home abuse attorney in Lexington, you’ll go over what happened to your loved one. We’ll look into the matter closely and determine where negligence occurred. It could be for a number of reasons.

The nursing staff may not have been supervising your loved one close enough to make sure they were getting regular meals and drinks. Those who need assistance with eating and drinking may not have gotten that help. Staff also need to know how to help them as well. The residents should be getting nutritious meals that will keep them healthy. Nursing homes with subpar food could mean residents aren’t getting vital nutrients or could be at risk of foodborne illness.

Attentive nursing homes will recognize if your loved one isn’t interested in eating and drinking. They will start to employ methods to encourage proper eating behaviors. A negligent nursing home will not have this attention to detail and could let your loved one’s poor eating behaviors go unnoticed.

If a resident is malnourished or dehydrated, staff should be able to recognize the symptoms immediately. Then, they’re supposed to inform a doctor so the senior can get the care they need. When staff tries to keep this information hidden, they may be doing so for fear of retaliation for letting a resident get to this state. But hiding this puts your loved one’s health at further risk.

The situations above are grounds for you to hold them liable for your loved one’s injuries. We’ll stand at your side and help you advocate for your loved one.

Your Loved One Deserves Representation

There is never an excuse for nursing home abuse. When you know your loved one has been hurt, you can seek legal aid. The Law Office of Todd W. Burris will fight to get your loved one the compensation they deserve. We’ll also send a clear message to the negligent nursing home that their behavior is not acceptable. To get started on your claim, get in touch with our office today. You’ll gain peace of mind knowing that you’re fighting for your loved one and their voice will be heard.