Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect- Malnutrition, Dehydration prevention tips for elderly residents

Tips to prevent malnutrition and dehydration

Make sure your loved one in a nursing home drinks plenty of water. Eight glasses a day is recommended, unless there is a medical reason for restricting fluids. In addition to water, your loved one should drink plenty of juice.

Insist on a pitcher of water and cups in the room. Make sure the resident can handle the pitcher and cups. If needed, insist on oversized cups with lids and built-in straws.

Make sure your loved one eats three well-balanced meals per day.

Insist on a daily weigh-in with accurate record keeping. Review weight records to monitor gain or loss.

Make sure the resident's food tray hasn't been placed too far away so that it is difficult to reach.

Signs that may indicate that your loved one is suffering from malnutrition and/or dehydration:

Weight loss

Cracks around the mouth

Pale lips and mouth

Complaints that dentures no longer fit

Unexplained confusion

Mouth sores

Thinning hair

Loose, flappy skin

Dry skin

Sunken eyes

Urinary tract infection

When the resident eats or drinks more when a friend or family member assists with feeding

If you observe patients being fed in a circle by one nurse's aide. This could indicate that there is not enough staff to properly ensure all residents are eating enough food and drinking enough liquids.

If your loved one shows even one of these signs, you should:

Immediately inform the doctor and staff members of your observations

Immediately request a care planning conference with the physician to discuss possible causes for the symptoms and to set up a plan for meals and feeding assistance

Monitor the situation. If it does not improve within days, you should contact authorities. Pennsylvania residents can click here for Contact Information.

If you even remotely suspect the situation may be life-threatening, take immediate steps to get your loved one to a hospital emergency room.

Put our experience to work for you

When a loved one as been a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, you need an experienced law firm that will work hard to protect your loved one's rights. The attorneys at Edgar Snyder & Associates have been helping injury victims and their families for over 40 years. In addition, our highly-rated law firm has represented more than 25,000 injured people and has answered over 350,000 injury-related legal questions. Let us put this experience to work for you.

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If someone you care about has been the unfortunate victim of abuse or neglect in a nursing home, you can contact our law firm for a free consultation of your claim by:

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Statistical sources: Journal of the American Geriatric Society (May 1999); Nutrition Screening Initiative (1993); Malnutrition and Dehydration in Nursing Homes: Key Issues in Prevention and Treatment (National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform June 2000)

Tips to prevent malnutrition and dehydration

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