Types and Causes of Malnutrition Lead to a Lack of Nutrients for Residents
Malnutrition can take on two forms. One is denying nursing home residents access to adequate amounts of food and water. This type of malnutrition can be quite serious because long periods of time without food and water can be harmful to the health of anyone, let alone senior citizens who have medical problems. Deprivation of food and water can lead to imbalances in electrolytes, mineral deficiencies, muscle wasting, hair loss, and other related signs and symptoms. Another type of malnutrition consists of providing foods that do not meet the nutritional requirements of nursing home residents. While providing access to large amounts of some foods, nursing home abusers may only provide access to nutritious foods periodically. Abusers often hold these foods to make patients weaker or to convince them to give in to a request for money or personal items. Withholding these nutritious items can lead to mineral deficiencies, a lack of fiber, and other nutrition-related conditions. If you feel that your loved one is malnourished due to the abuse or negligence of a nursing home, get in touch with a San Bernardino nursing home abuse attorney to find out what your options are. There are several reasons why malnutrition can occur in a nursing home setting. These reasons include:
• Lack of knowledge or training for staff members
• Financial problems
• Desire to control residents
Many nursing homes have a difficult time recruiting and training qualified staff members to care for residents. When staff members are not trained properly or are not qualified for the jobs they are performing, they may not take care of residents as more qualified staff members would. One of the things that these staff members can do wrong is provide too little foods or too much of the wrong foods to residents. Without knowing how each food affects a particular resident, these untrained staff members will not be able to properly administer liquid nourishment or distribute meals to the residents.
If you or a loved on has questions regarding a nursing home abuse matter, please contact Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Michael Young for a FREE Consultation. Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Michael Young is a featured speaker at many nursing home abuse seminars throughout California. The Nursing Home Abuse Law Offices of Young and Wallin handles cases throughout California including Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbra, Fresno, Sacramento, Orange County, Bakersfield and Ventura.
