Nebraska Elderly Malnutrition Attorney

How Common is Malnutrition in Nursing Homes?

Due to understaffing, there are a number of nursing homes that are unable to properly care for the elderly patients in their facilities. This can be a serious problem and lead to many health issues, including malnutrition. This occurs when the patient is not properly nourished with essential food and water because the staff is negligent. A large number of elderly patients are unable to feed themselves and require the help of a staff member. When the staff doesn’t have enough people, everybody rushes from one job to the next and some patients go unattended.

Malnutrition occurs for a number of reasons, including but not limited to:

• Understaffed nursing homes
• Failure to inform following shifts regarding eating schedule
• Poor training habits
• Inability to properly feed the patient with cognitive problems

Malnutrition is far too common in the United States. It is noted that anywhere from 35% to 85% of nursing home patients may suffer from malnutrition at some point. This is an alarming statistic that shows how many problems nursing homes have regarding their staff. Malnutrition is something that should be monitored closely as it could result in confusion, weight loss, hair loss, rapid health deterioration, and even death.

How to Recognize Signs of Malnutrition

Malnutrition can be particularly dangerous because it often continues for months on end without anyone being made aware of the problem. Symptoms of malnutrition depend on the severity of the malnourishment, and sometimes, it is possible for the issue to occur for weeks or months before visible signs arise.

Although it is the professional responsibility of caretakers to properly attend to their elderly patients' nutritional and medical needs, there have been several reported cases in which neglect led to malnutrition. Therefore, the responsibility of ensuring that this type of abuse is not allowed to continue falls on the friends and families of the elderly loved ones who have been put under the attention of a caretaker. Symptoms of malnutrition include:

• Weight loss
• Dry or scaly skin
• Complaints of bone or joint aches
• Mental confusion or dementia
• Long-lasting diarrhea
• Weakness (from decreased muscle mass)
• Wounds that take a significant time to heal

Professional caregiving standards require that elderly individuals receive the attention they both need and deserve. This attention applies to a senior's nutritional health as well. Many older individuals suffer from medical conditions that require a strict diet with specific supplements to aid in the maintenance of their overall health. Neglecting these needs can result in malnutrition, as well as other serious medical conditions.

Dehydration

Malnutrition and dehydration often go hand-in-hand, as elderly individuals whose needs are neglected often experience neglect at every level. This means that they can be denied their basic needs, right down the food and water they require to remain healthy. Dehydration can cause health issues that are more severe than those caused by malnutrition in some cases. In the worse scenarios, death can even result from dehydration.

Symptoms of dehydration include:

• Low blood pressure
• Lack of sweating
• Dry skin
• Headaches
• Rapid heartbeat
• Constipation
• Irritability
• Confusion

Ensuring that patients are properly hydrated is the job every caretaker, whether they are attending to an elderly individual or not. When basic hydration and nutritional needs are net met by the caregivers who are expected to be providing exactly that, legal action can and should be taken. Cases often need to be brought before a judge in order to yield the compensation that elderly individuals are rightfully due as the victims of malnutrition or dehydration.

What to Do if Neglect Occurs

Domina Law Group has been invested in the lives of injured victims since 1975. For well over three decades, we have actively helped elderly individuals and their families take accusations of abuse and neglect to court. Our trial experience and deep respect for the law have yielded successful results on a number of occasions and we are prepared to invest equally strong efforts on your behalf as well.

As the relative of the elderly individual affected by nursing home neglect, you have the obligation to take action. You should verify that your elderly loved one’s story is accurate by looking for the signs of malnutrition. You can then consider moving them to another nursing home in the area, filing a report with law enforcement and other agencies, and speak with a Nebraska nursing home neglect lawyer.

We encourage you to contact our office today to learn more about identifying the problem of malnutrition and what actions can be taken to legally remedy the situation. Domina Law Group is dedicated to handling these types of cases to protect your elderly loved one as well as other individuals who may be affected by malnutrition in a nursing home. You have rights and it is important to protect them.