Residents in a nursing home can experience a loss of control, especially if they have serious medical conditions or can no longer care for themselves. As a result, residents can become dependent on the facility’s staff for their most basic needs.
If staff members are not attentive enough, dehydration and malnutrition in Iberville Parish nursing homes can leave residents weakened and more vulnerable to injury. If you or a loved one have experienced this, reach out to our attorneys at Tomeny | Best for help with making a claim against the facility.
Who Is Responsible for Dehydration and Malnutrition in Nursing Homes?
Making sure that nursing home residents are fed seems like a simple task. Nursing homes often have set meal times and attendants to ensure that residents eat and drink enough during those periods.
However, elderly residents may not have a full appetite and may need assistance eating and drinking. Some residents may also be less mobile than others. Those who need wheelchairs or have difficulty moving beyond their bed may be left behind.
Furthermore, a resident may have specific dietary needs that their nursing home’s staff have not met, and they may not eat and drink enough as a result. Nursing homes may become understaffed or have employees without the training necessary to ensure the nutrition and health of its residents.
A particular employee could also act with aggression or ill will toward residents instead of merely neglecting their health. In these cases, the facility itself should still be responsible. Our personal injury attorneys could help you form a claim against a nursing home in the Plaquemine area and get compensation for injuries sustained from dehydration and malnutrition.
Recovering From Dehydration and Malnutrition Through a Legal Claim
Once you realize that your loved one is dehydrated or suffering from malnutrition in a nursing home, you need to get them help quickly. They may need to move to another facility or even the hospital to get the sustenance they need to recover.
The costs of that recovery may form the basis for your claim against the nursing facility as special damages, which are the economic costs of an injury. In addition to causing your loved one pain and weakness, the whole experience can leave you and your family member(s) traumatized. This emotional pain forms the grounds for general damages for non-economic injury.
Our attorneys could help you calculate the damages you should receive in a lawsuit and help you form your case against the nursing home. Your claim will need to prove that the Iberville Parish nursing home and/or its employees acted unreasonably and caused your loved one’s dehydration and malnutrition. Our attorneys could also help you gather proof of this.
Furthermore, we could help you bring your claim within the statute of limitations (also known as a “prescriptive period” in Louisiana) so you do not lose your opportunity for compensation. Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 3493.1, you only have two years from an injury to bring a lawsuit, so consulting with a lawyer quickly could preserve your family’s ability to receive compensation.
Speak to a Plaquemine Attorney About Dehydration and Malnutrition in Nursing Homes
Because fragile health often accompanies advanced age, your elderly family members may be especially vulnerable to dehydration and/or malnutrition. At Tomeny | Best, you can rely on our attorneys for help with claims based on dehydration and malnutrition in Iberville Parish nursing homes. We could evaluate your case with a free consultation and advise you about the next step toward compensation, so call our offices today.
