Dedicated Nursing Home Malnutrition Injury Attorneys in Rivera Beach, FL, Hold Negligent Nursing Home Operators and Staff Accountable for Harm Caused by Dehydration and Malnutrition in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
As people age, monitoring their food and water intake becomes important. Elderly individuals are at risk of not eating or drinking enough due to decreased appetites, cognitive or memory problems, or health complications that make eating or drinking uncomfortable. Nursing homes have a duty to ensure their residents receive adequate hydration and nutrition. If your loved one has suffered dehydration or malnutrition due to the negligence of the nursing home staff, get legal help from the nursing home malnutrition injury attorneys in Riviera Beach, FL, from Dominick Cunningham & Yaffa to pursue financial recovery and justice for your loved one. Contact us for a free initial case review to learn more about your loved one’s and family’s legal options.
What Are Dehydration and Malnutrition
Dehydration and malnutrition can occur even if a nursing home resident does ingest some food and liquid. When a nursing home resident doesn’t drink enough water or fluids or doesn’t eat enough food or the right foods for an extended period, life-threatening dehydration and malnutrition can set in. Dehydration occurs when a person uses or passes more fluid than they consume to the point that the body doesn’t have enough water to function normally. Dehydration can lead to serious complications such as heat stroke, UTIs, kidney stones, kidney failure, seizures, or shock from low blood volume. Malnutrition occurs when the body does not get enough nutrients, vitamins, and minerals needed to maintain bodily functions.
Signs of Dehydration and Malnutrition
Since people’s appetites and thirst can increase as they get older, older adults may be susceptible to dehydration and malnutrition. Nursing home residents suffering from cognitive issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are also at risk for dehydration/malnutrition since they may not remember to eat or drink regularly. Signs that a nursing home resident might be suffering from dehydration or malnutrition include:
- Rapid or unintended weight loss
- Chronic fatigue
- Bedsores
- Slow wound healing
- Bloated abdomen
- Swollen and bleeding gums
- Urinary tract infections
- Sunken-in facial features
- Inability to stay warm
- Depression or apathy
- Dry skin and dry/cracked lips
- Dizziness
- Decreased urine output and unusually dark-colored urine
- Low blood pressure
- Rapid breathing
- Unusually confusion or irritability
How Can Nursing Homes Be Liable for Dehydration or Malnutrition
Nursing homes have a responsibility to ensure that residents have a proper food and liquid intake. Staff should ensure that residents consume adequate quantities of food and water and also eat nutritious foods that provide adequate amounts of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Nursing homes may bear liability for a resident’s dehydration or malnutrition injuries when staffers fail to monitor resident food/water intake and intervene when residents fail to consume sufficient food and water. Nursing homes may bear responsibility for resident malnutrition if the facility fees residents cheaper food that lacks necessary nutrients and vitamins.
Turn to the Riviera Beach Nursing Home Dehydration Injury Lawyers of Dominick Cunningham & Yaffa for Help Pursuing Accountability for the Harm Your Loved One Has Suffered
Proving a nursing home’s fault for your loved one’s dehydration or malnutrition injury can be a complex task. Let our legal team use our experience and resources to pursue financial recovery and justice for your loved one and family by:
- Recovering evidence of the nursing home’s fault, such as your loved one’s medical records and lab test results, the nursing home’s care reports, surveillance footage, or eyewitness testimony
- Documenting your loved one’s and family’s ongoing and future expenses to ensure we seek maximum compensation for you
- Identifying all potentially liable parties
- Evaluating your options for financial recovery, including determining the availability of liability insurance coverage
- Vigorously pursuing financial relief and justice for your family through a settlement or by advocating for your loved one in court and at trial
Contact Us for a Free Claim Evaluation to Speak with Our Nursing Home Malnutrition Injury Attorneys in Riviera Beach, FL, About Your Family’s Legal Options
When nursing home staff’s negligence caused your loved one to suffer dehydration or malnutrition, your family may have the right to pursue a legal claim to hold the nursing home and its staff accountable for their careless or reckless conduct. Contact Dominick Cunningham & Yaffa today for a free, no-obligation consultation to see how our Riviera Beach nursing home dehydration injury lawyers will fight for justice and compensation for your loved one.
About Riviera Beach, FL
Riviera Beach is a city located in Palm Beach County, Florida. Situated along the Atlantic Coast, Riviera Beach is home to the Port of Palm Beach and one of the U.S.’s top shore diving sites at the Blue Herron Boulevard Bridge. Riviera Beach was first settled as “Oak Lawn” in the 19th Century. In 1893, the area adopted the name “Riviera,” adding “Beach” in 1941. Rivera Beach was formally incorporated as the Town of Riviera in 1922, converting to a city in 1959.
A survey of various studies found that around 20 percent of nursing home residents may suffer from some degree of malnutrition, although the exact number of residents experiencing malnutrition may differ depending on the medical standards used to define when a person is malnourished.