When somebody suffers from malnutrition, the lack of nutrients compromises their overall health in a way that can possibly lead to death. If you believe that your loved one is not receiving the nutrition that they need to stay healthy, then the people in charge of their care may bear responsibility.
Call a Berwyn malnutrition lawyer with our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today to discuss what malnutrition could mean for your loved one, as well as your options for legal action.
Spotting Malnutrition in Your Loved One
Malnutrition refers to a number of different conditions that generally allude to somebody who is receiving an unhealthy amount of nutrients, according to a paper in the Royal College of Physicians journal Clinical Medicine. Somebody who suffers from malnutrition may develop more serious health problems, possibly fatal ones.
Possible signs of malnutrition in your loved one may include:
- Abnormal weight loss.
- Depression.
- Getting sick or developing infections frequently.
- Healing slowly from wounds.
- A constant or near-constant sense of cold.
- Loss of muscle mass.
- Periods of fatigue or irritability.
- Lack of hunger.
If you spot one or more of these signs and have not already spoken to your loved one’s caregivers about them, questioning caregivers and management may shed light on the problem. If you find that the caregivers in the nursing home or facility where your loved one lives lack concern about these symptoms, a case of negligent care may contribute to your loved one’s struggles with nutrition.
Untreated Chronic Malnutrition Can Lead to Death
Professional caregivers have a responsibility to know whether your loved one lives at risk of developing some form of malnutrition. Certain groups, including those with dementia, restricted diets, one or more conditions that make it more difficult to eat, and several others may live at a heightened risk of experiencing malnutrition, according to the Mayo Clinic.
If caregivers fail to identify, monitor, and treat patients who are most likely to suffer from malnutrition—a group that may include your loved one—then those patients will continue to live at a high risk of frequent hospitalization, serious immune system compromises, and death. Such disregard for patients may also indicate that the nursing home staff lacks other health care skills.
Malnutrition May Indicate a Poorly Run Nursing Home
If you find out that your loved one suffers from untreated malnutrition, you may understandably wonder what other issues occur at this nursing home.
One or more patients experiencing malnutrition may signal deep-rooted issues with the nursing home where your loved one lives, possibly including but not limited to:
- Administrators who lack knowledge about systems of care and fail to implement vital systems.
- Hiring personnel without conducting thorough background checks or possibly any background checks at all, which may lead to inexperienced, underqualified caregivers.
- Inadequate systems for keeping tabs on residents, such as video cameras and regular check-up schedules.
- A culture of mismanagement and little accountability.
- An environment where caregivers belittle or abuse residents.
These kinds of problems can manifest themselves as abuse, neglect, exploitation, and other forms of mistreatment, and your loved one may suffer as a victim of such behaviors. If you suspect that a caregiver malnourished your loved one, or that suffer from other forms of mistreatment, a trained Berwyn malnutrition lawyer may help.
Call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm for a free consultation about your case.
For a free legal consultation with a Malnutrition Lawyer serving Berwyn, call (800) 794-0444
A Berwyn Malnutrition Lawyer May Defend Your Loved One in a Case of Inadequate Care
When malnutrition arises in your loved one, you must identify the parties responsible for this serious condition and hold them accountable. A lawyer may assist you in finding the responsible parties, whether they include:
- Nursing home administrators.
- Specific staffers, such as doctors, nurses, and other caregivers who failed to recognize, diagnose, or treat your loved one’s malnutrition.
- Anybody else who contributed to harm to your loved one in any way.
Identifying defendants encompasses the first step in your loved one’s case for compensation. Once you have identified the defendant or defendants from whom your lawyer may pursue compensation, then your lawyer may file your case in court and begin to formulate your estimate for compensation.
Proving Liability in a Nursing Home Malnutrition Case
When you bring a lawsuit based on negligence by a nursing home, whether on behalf of an administrator, staffer, or otherwise, then your lawyer may aim to show the court that negligence occurred. The general approach for proving negligence in a malnutrition case consists of:
- Showing that the nursing home had a duty of care to protect your loved one from unreasonable harm, directly stated or implied in the contract that you or your loved one signed before entering the nursing home.
- Demonstrating that nursing home administrators’ or staff’s actions or failure to act violated the duty of care that their contract bound them to uphold.
- Your loved one suffered harm as a direct result of this breach.
Proving these three points to the court sits at the center of your lawyer’s duty to you and your loved one, and may result in compensation for your loved one’s losses, such as:
- The money you previously paid to the nursing home.
- Medical bills related to injuries and illnesses your loved one sustained while living in the nursing home.
A lawyer may also help fairly value your losses when determining expected compensation.
Berwyn Malnutrition Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Our Team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm May Help Your Case
The goal revolves around getting your loved one to a safe place where they will receive the care that they need, and then to pursue compensation from those who have put your loved one at harm. Call our malnutrition lawyers serving Berwyn for a free consultation. Our clients pay no costs up front, as we take any fee from settlements or judgments we secure on your behalf.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
