Malnutrition and Dehydration

If a nursing facility is understaffed or fails to train its staff, residents may suffer serious harm. Federal and state laws have been enacted to make sure that nursing homes adhere to basic standards of care to prevent malnutrition and dehydration, among other conditions. Nursing homes are supposed to provide healthy food and water to their residents and also anticipate whether a resident may be at risk for dehydration or malnourishment, due to other medical needs or medications. If a nursing home does not meet these standards, and the result is an injury or death to a resident, the facility may be held responsible for the damages that it caused.

A nursing home that fails to make sure that all of its residents are provided food that has the essential vitamins and minerals, as well as ensure that water is available and being consumed consistently, is likely to be found negligent. Other breaches in the standard of care for nursing homes may include failures to properly supervise meals and snacks, failures to train staff in nutrition and feeding methods, inadequate attention to the difficulties that a certain resident has in chewing or swallowing, failures to monitor a resident who abuses drugs or alcohol, failures to stay vigilant to dietary restrictions and medication side effects, failures to suggest fluids between meals, failures to notify a doctor of signs of dehydration, and failures to regularly record the amount of fluid in an IV and the amount of food actually consumed. Our nursing home malnutrition attorneys can help Memphis families hold nursing homes accountable for any of these practices when they cause a loved one’s harm.

Nursing homes in states like Tennessee owe a duty to make sure that their residents are not malnourished or dehydrated and to respond promptly to any signs of malnutrition or dehydration. This duty may arise from state regulations as well as the written contracts that are signed when someone comes to live in a nursing home. You may hold a nursing home liable for negligence if its duty to care for an elderly resident by providing adequate food and water is breached. Compensatory damages for pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and medical bills may be available for ordinary nursing home negligence.

In some cases, malnutrition and dehydration result from abuse and intentional actions, such as punishing a resident. Understaffing may result in a staff member resorting to cruel and improper punishments for residents who are perceived as difficult. In cases of egregious conduct by a staff member or a particularly reprehensible facility-wide policy, it may be appropriate to request punitive damages. It is important to contact our attorneys if you suspect abuse or neglect in a loved one’s nursing home. We can investigate by talking to staff members, the director of the facility, and residents to figure out which actions or omissions caused your loved one’s malnutrition and whether these actions or omissions qualify as negligence.