Proper nutrition and hydration are critical when it comes to the elderly. Nursing homes have policies and procedures on how to maintain correct levels of nutrition and hydration in their residents and how to respond when residents exhibit signs of malnutrition or dehydration. The problem is whether the nursing home staff members follow the policies and procedures.

Simply stated, malnutrition is the lack of proper nutrition. Some elderly nursing home residents often have difficulty in swallowing or present with other physical or mental challenges that compromise their ability to ingest food. Other residents have good appetites, but need assistance with eating. Nursing homes have many options at their disposal in assisting residents with eating. The easiest is having adequate staff to assist residents. Sadly, too many nursing homes staff their facilities to the point that there is little, if any, assistance with feeding.

Nursing homes are also required to provide appetizing food and promote an environment conducive to eating. Loud dining rooms permeated by foul smells do not promote eating. Moreover, nursing home corporations often budget on average $4.00 per day for resident food, making the creation of appetizing food a challenge.

Dehydration is simply fluid deprivation. One of the easiest tasks to accomplish in a nursing home is to keep residents hydrated. Some residents are unable to access water on their own, while other residents may be on medications that require additional monitoring to avoid dehydration. Regardless, residents are often totally dependant upon nursing home staff members to give them a drink of water. Unfortunately, overworked staff members often forget to accomplish this simple task and fail to properly monitor those with additional needs.

When a resident becomes malnourished or dehydrated, they become susceptible to a host of additional medical problems, such as bed sores, infection and pneumonia.

If you suspect that your loved one became malnourished or dehydrated while residing in a nursing home anywhere in the United States, call us immediately. We work with lawyers throughout the country on cases involving nursing home abuse and neglect. Some states have very short deadlines in which to act, so it is imperative that you act right away. Contact us immediately online or call us at 1-888-317-2525 for a free consultation.