Family members who trust nursing home staff to care for their loved ones expect their relatives to receive healthy meals and adequate amounts of food to meet their nutritional needs. In some cases, however, nursing homes fail to meet that duty, and elderly residents suffer from malnutrition.
An Atlanta malnutrition lawyer may be able to help you seek justice for your loved one. Since 1985, Pintas & Mullins Law Firm has been advocating for victims and their families. Our team can investigate to find out why your relative became malnourished and who was responsible. We can also find out whether your loved one was the only victim or whether malnutrition was a widespread problem at the nursing home.
If a member of your family began suffering from malnutrition while living in a nursing home, we might be able to help you pursue financial compensation. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to talk to a staff member about your relative’s health, conditions at the nursing home, and how we may be able to assist you.
Signs that Your Loved One may be Malnourished
When you visit your family member at the nursing home, you may see visible signs of malnutrition, according to Mayo Clinic. Significant weight loss is one obvious symptom, but you may also want to monitor their meals as well. Sit with them at mealtime if you suspect the staff malnourished your loved one to see what they serve and whether they help your loved one finish their meal.
Your relative may frequently feel cold and may be tired after completing simple tasks. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies may cause your loved one’s vision to deteriorate. Malnutrition can also affect cognitive ability. You may find that your relative is struggling to think clearly.
Malnutrition can put elderly nursing home residents at increased risk of falls and infections because of weakened immune systems and muscle mass. Vitamin deficiencies can also worsen underlying health conditions, such as diabetes. In some cases, malnutrition can lead to hospitalization and even premature death.
How Nursing Home Residents Become Malnourished
Senior citizens who live in nursing homes may become malnourished for several reasons. In some cases, understaffing or miscommunication is to blame. An employee may believe that another staff member gave a resident a meal when, in fact, the resident was not fed.
Malnutrition may be due to neglect. For example, employees may not feed residents who are unable to feed themselves. That may be deliberate neglect, or staff members may not have been told which individuals need assistance. It is also possible that employees do not have enough time to feed residents who need help due to understaffing.
Sometimes malnutrition is a result of abuse. For instance, staff members may withhold food as punishment, or withhold food as a method of subduing them.
For a free legal consultation with a Atlanta Malnutrition Lawyer serving Atlanta, call (800) 794-0444
How an Atlanta Malnutrition Lawyer Can Help Your Family
Nursing home abuse is a problem throughout the United States. Pintas & Mullins Law Firm has represented clients across the country and helped them seek financial awards for personal injuries.
We can investigate to find out why your loved one is malnourished and who is responsible. We can talk to your family member, fellow nursing home residents, other members of your family who have visited the nursing home, and staff members who work at the facility. We may review your relative’s medical history and nursing home records. Our investigation may help us figure out whether the malnutrition occurred due to neglect or abuse and whether other residents suffered the same treatment.
GA Code § 16-5-101 says that neglect to an elder person is when their caretaker willfully deprives them of “health care, shelter, or necessary sustenance to the extent that the health or well-being of such person is jeopardized.”
If we discover that employees at the nursing home neglected or abused your loved one and caused them to suffer from malnutrition, we can take legal action against the facility. We may file a personal injury lawsuit to recover a financial award as compensation for your relative’s injuries.
Atlanta Atlanta Malnutrition Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Contact Our Office to Learn How We May Be Able to Assist You
Senior citizens in nursing homes are vulnerable. People trust staff to take care of their family members, but unfortunately, residents do not always receive the care they deserve. Whether that is due to neglect or abuse, the nursing home should be held accountable.
An Atlanta malnutrition lawyer may be able to help you pursue justice on behalf of your family member. Some compensation you might be able to recover for costs associated with the malnutrition include, but may not be limited to:
- Past and future medical bills
- Medical transportation costs
- Relocation costs
- Pain and suffering
- Cost of the nursing home stay
- Mental anguish
We understand that your family may not be able to afford to hire a personal injury attorney, but that should not stop you from seeking to hold those responsible for your loved one’s suffering accountable. Pintas & Mullins Law Firm operates on a contingency basis. That means that we will only receive a fee if we obtain a financial award for your loved one’s injuries.
The sooner you contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm, the sooner we will be able to begin gathering information and create a plan to help your family seek justice. Call our office to talk to a member of our staff about what your loved one experienced in the nursing home and how we may be able to help.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
