Nursing home abuse is one of the most difficult and unfortunate areas of our legal practice. Since nursing home residents aren't able to take care of themselves, they depend on caretakers and medical professionals to assist in their everyday tasks such as eating, drinking, personal hygiene, and more. Nursing home patients may be injured or die as a result of the negligence of their caretakers or healthcare providers. Two of the most common forms of nursing home abuse and negligence that occur in the United States are the dehydration and malnutrition of the elderly.
Dehydration is defined as an excessive loss of body fluid, either by decrease in fluid intake, medication side effects, or by illness. In terms of nursing home abuse, we often see patients whose fluid intake isn't what it's supposed to be in order for them to maintain their health. In a nursing home abuse case, the medical provider or caretaker tasked with taking care of the patient has neglected to do their job, resulting in injury or death of the nursing home resident. Below is a list of dehydration signs to look for if you have a loved one in a nursing home:
- Dry mouth
- Thirst
- Dark colored urine
- Fatigue
Another unfortunate form of neglect that we commonly see among nursing home patients is malnutrition. This type of negligence is defined as an imbalance in dietary needs or a lack of proper nutritional intake. This dietary restriction tends to occur when nursing home patients are given the wrong serving sizes, or aren't eating enough to maintain a healthy balance. If a nursing home caretaker neglects to maintain a proper nutritional balance resulting in injury or death or their patients, then a nursing home abuse case may arise. Below is a list of malnutrition signs to look for if you have a loved one in a nursing home:
- Weight loss
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Overall mental decline
If you think your loved one has been a victim of negligence through nursing home abuse, please contact the experienced elder abuse attorneys at Lipkin & Apter today. It's important that your loved one gets the help they need for their nursing home abuse-related injury, and we'll be here every step of the way to ensure that they get the justice that they deserve.