Nursing Home Neglect Warning Signs: Dehydration
In this next section of this nursing home care guide, Greenville neglect lawyer Andy Arnold discusses one of the warning signs of nursing home neglect and abuse: dehydration.
Dehydration
Hydration is critical to health, particularly of the elderly and failure to properly hydrate residents can be an obvious sign of neglect.
The elderly are at a higher risk of dehydration than others for two main reasons: reduced fluid intake and increased fluid loss. These are caused by various factors-altered thirst sensation, greater use of medication, more disease processes, and less ability to hydrate themselves. Thus, nursing homes should make proper hydration, as well as detection of dehydration, a primary goal. Proper hydration, thus the prevention of dehydration, requires care, planning, close attention to the residents, and common sense. Prevention can be simple:
- Increase fluids at mealtime
- Increase fluids while taking medication
- Take necessary precautions against illnesses, such as the flu, that may cause fluid loss
- Maintain proper humidity
If a resident becomes dehydrated, detection is often based upon an imperfect and crude evaluation of the resident. Warning signs and symptoms of dehydration include headaches, fatigue, dizziness, dark urine, difficulty in swallowing, painful urination, and delirium. A dietician or doctor may also consider the resident's appetite, frequency of medications, and body weight. If dehydration is suspected, the nursing home has a responsibility to act quickly. Lab work should be performed and proper medical treatment should be implemented-IV fluid intake with proper sodium levels.
There are three types of dehydration:
- 1. Isotonic: a balanced loss of water and sodium.
- 2. Hypertonic: loss of more water than sodium.
- 3. Hypotonic: loss of more sodium than water.
Each type requires a slightly different approach to treatment.
The seriousness of dehydration lies not in the symptoms listed above but in the problematic health conditions it can cause or aggravate. Among these conditions are kidney stone formation, bedsores, respiratory sickness, diabetes complications, infections (urinary tract is common), and some types of cancer.
Because the elderly are already more prone to illness, dehydration only increases such chances of illnesses as it weakens the overall body. If dehydration is not quickly and properly treated, it can be fatal. There is no excuse for a resident becoming dehydrated and certainly no excuse for not detecting it and properly treating it.
Consult South Carolina Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer about Neglect
If you have seen the warning signs and symptoms of dehydration in your loved one who is in a nursing home, contact South Carolina nursing home neglect lawyer Andy Arnold for a consultation. At his law office in Greenville, SC, Andy Arnold offers free initial consultations for nursing home neglect cases. Call 864-242-4800 today to get the help with your elder abuse case.