How to tell if a nursing home resident is malnourished?
Fort Walton Beach, FL—A person can become malnourished when they follow an inadequate diet that does not provide them with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Someone who is malnourished suffers from a condition called malnutrition.
Malnutrition happens in one of two ways:
- This is when a person does not consume enough essential nutrients in their diet or “they are excreted more rapidly than they can be replaced.”1
- This is when a person consumes too much food, “eats the wrong things, [doesn’t] exercise enough, or [takes] too many vitamins or dietary replacements.”
Because nursing home residents rely on their caregivers to prepare and serve them their food, they don’t exactly get to choose what they eat and how often they are served. Although nursing homes are required to meet certain standards when preparing and serving food, there are times when certain standards are overlooked.
Another issue that interferes with a nursing home resident’s diet is understaffing. When a nursing home is understaffed, there aren’t enough caregivers to tend to the residents as often as needed. Therefore, if a resident requires assistance with eating or has other health issues that make it harder to feed them, they may skip a meal here and there if a caregiver is unable to devote the time they need to feed a resident.
Signs of malnourishment
When an individual suffers from malnutrition, they may experience the following symptoms according to Johns Hopkins Medicine:
- They may bruise more easily.
- They have achy joints.
- They develop rashes or their skin pigmentation might change.
- Their skin might become “pale, thick, and dry.”
- Their bones are “soft and tender.”
- Their gums may begin to bleed easily.
- Their tongue might become “swollen, shriveled, and cracked.”
While it is extremely unhealthy for anyone to become malnourished, it can be especially dangerous for an older adult to suffer from malnutrition. If an older adult becomes malnourished, the Mayo Clinic says it could lead to the following health issues:
- Their immune system might become weaker which puts them at a higher risk of developing an infection.
- “Poor wound healing.”
- “Decreased bone mass” which makes them more susceptible to falling.
- They are more likely to be hospitalized and their risk of death increases.
What to do if a nursing home resident becomes malnourished as a result of neglect?
Nursing home residents have a right to live a life free from abuse and neglect. If an individual believes their loved one is being neglected rather than cared for, they can contact Browning Law Firm for legal help. A Fort Walton Beach, FL nursing home abuse lawyer can assess the matter and determine what options are available to the aging individual’s family.
In most cases, if a nursing home in Florida is neglecting a resident, it can be sued for damages. To find out more about holding a nursing home accountable for neglect, connect with an experienced nursing home neglect lawyer in Fort Walton Beach, FL now.
Browning Law Firm can be reached at:
418 Racetrack Rd. NE, Ste B
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547
Phone: 850-344-1736
Website: www.browninglawfirm.com
Source:
