October 25, 2020
Illinois Workers Comp and Covid-19
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Malnutrition occurs when people are not consuming enough nutrients to stay healthy. While malnutrition can result from any number of conditions or factors, when it takes place in nursing homes, it could be as sign of nursing home neglect.
Given that malnutrition can have deadly consequences if it persists – or if it impacts elderly people with compromised immune systems, in this three-part blog series, we will point out some important facts to know about malnutrition and nursing home neglect. If you suspect that your loved one’s malnourishment may be an indication nursing home neglect, don’t hesitate to contact our trusted Mount Vernon nursing home neglect lawyers for experienced help and aggressive legal advocacy.
Malnurtrition and Nursing Home Neglect: Here’s What You Should Know
Fact 1 – About 1 in every 3 nursing home residents is suffering from malnutrition and/or dehydration.
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), as many as 33 percent of the elderly people in American nursing homes are malnourished and/or dehydrated. One reason for this staggering occurrence of malnutrition in U.S. nursing homes may be the conditions that some elderly people have (like dementia), which cause them to forget to eat and, consequently, become malnourished.
In many other cases, however, nursing home staff members’ failure to check up on residents and help them with eating, when necessary and part of the care, can contribute to malnutrition in these loved ones.
Perhaps, more importantly, though, this statistic sheds some light on the fact that nursing home neglect may be impacting far more of the elderly population than people actually realize.
Fact 2 – Other conditions can cause residents to not eat or to forget to eat.
As touched on above, there are many cases in which elderly nursing home residents simply forget to eat because they are living with other conditions, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. When this may be the case, it will be increasingly important for nursing home staff to be diligent about checking up on residents and assisting them with feeding.
Malnutrition in people with such cognitive impairments should be taken seriously and investigated further, as the NCEA reports that about half of all nursing home residents with dementia in the U.S. end up being the victims of some type of nursing home abuse or neglect during their stays in these facilities.
For some more important facts about malnutrition and nursing home neglect, be sure to check out the upcoming second and third parts of this blog series.
Mount Vernon Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers at the Law Firm of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C.
Has your loved one been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect? If so, the experienced and trusted Mount Vernon nursing home neglect lawyers at the Law Firm of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C. are ready to stand up for your rights. Since 1950, we have been providing the highest quality legal services and representation to our clients. Our trusted attorneys focus on our clients’ needs, we are passionate about our clients, and we do everything we can to help them get the maximum possible compensation.
To learn more about your best options and how we can help you, contact us by calling (888) 896-9381 or by emailing us using the form at the upper right-hand side of the page. We can provide you with a free, thorough assessment of your case, along with professional advice regarding the best manner in which to move forward.
