Elder Neglect of Nursing Home Residents - Warning Signs: Weight Loss and Malnutrition
In this section of his nursing home care guide, South Carolina elder neglect lawyer Andy Arnold highlights another sign of possible negligence of nursing home residents: weight loss. Unexplained weight loss could be a sign of malnutrition, which is a serious form of nursing home abuse.
Weight Loss
Malnutrition is the silent epidemic in our nursing homes. Studies have shown that from 35 to 85 percent of nursing home residents in the United States are malnourished. The effects of malnutrition are devastating. Malnutrition can lead to infections, bedsores, slow healing, bones fractures, and fatigue.
Adequate nutrition is essential for health and life. Yet malnutrition is common in nursing homes. Most of the time, it is avoidable. The reason for such malnutrition is simple: the residents are not getting the proper amount of calories and protein.
One of the most significant causes of this is understaffing. It takes 30 to 60 minutes to feed a resident, who cannot feed themselves, safely and adequately. However, as shown in the following section on understaffing, nursing homes simply do not employ enough staff to feed and nourish its residents. This means that food is either placed in front of a resident and eating was up to them or the staff feeds the residents quickly and forcefully. In either event, the nursing home is not providing proper and adequate care.
Prevention of malnutrition is simple in most circumstances-take the time and care to feed the resident. Further, when weight-loss occurs, or the resident refuses to eat, supplements should be ordered by the doctor and administered by the nursing home.
The consequences of malnutrition in the elderly are serious, as detailed above. Malnutrition leads to a decrease in a resident's quality of life, health, and happiness. Unfortunately, the malnourished residents in nursing homes are being deprived of one of life's great pleasures, as well as essentials-food.
Fighting Against Elder Abuse on Behalf of Nursing Home Residents
The companies that own nursing homes are able to hire lawyers with extensive experience fighting elder neglect lawsuits. Nursing home residents and their families may feel helpless against these attorneys. However, they have an ally in South Carolina nursing home abuse attorney Andy Arnold. If you believe that your family member is being malnourished in his/her long-term care facility, contact aggressive and experienced nursing home lawyer Andy Arnold today. The Law Office of W. Andrew Arnold in Greenville, SC offers free consultations to nursing home residents suffering from elder neglect.
