What is Dehydration Neglect in Nursing Homes?

If your loved one is suffering from health problems related to a lack of water intake, then they are suffering from dehydration neglect in their nursing home. This occurs when caregivers at the facility do not ensure the residents are drinking enough water to maintain their health. This dehydration effect can lead to significant health concerns for your loved one that are otherwise easily preventable.

Even if a nursing home resident does not feel thirsty, caregivers should be checking on them, encouraging them to drink water to avoid problems with dehydration. Additionally, dehydration neglect can occur if the caregivers do not make sure the resident has fresh water available.

Why Do Dehydration Problems Occur in a Nursing Home?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older adults tend to have a lower water intake than the average person. This can occur for a number of reasons, including:

• Difficulty walking to obtain water
• Bedridden with bedsores and needing help to move
• Reduced thirst sensation
• A chilled feeling in the body reduces the desire for water
• Spending more time sleeping
• Not wanting to need to urinate as often

For these reasons, caregivers at a nursing home have to continually ask residents whether they are drinking enough water, bringing them fresh water to help with proper hydration.

Reduced Activity Level

Some seniors may believe they do not need as much water as they did when they were younger because they do not engage in the same levels of activity that they used to do, meaning they are losing less water in the body to sweat. However, people continue to sweat, even if they do not engage in strenuous activity. Maintaining the proper levels of hydration requires regular water intake, even when the senior citizen believes they need less water to compensate for a reduced activity level.

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Holding the Nursing Home Accountable for Its Actions

When you notice that your loved one suffered from dehydration, leading to a serious injury and a potential hospitalization, you may need to recover compensation for your loved one’s dehydration neglect in a nursing home. Dehydration can be especially troublesome for elderly residents of a nursing home, who may be too weak to move on their own to find something to drink when they are thirsty. If caregivers at the nursing home do not respond to these requests for help with finding water to drink, it can be considered negligence.

Call an Attorney Today for Help Pursuing a Case Against a Nursing Home

When you want help with filing a case against the nursing home facility that caused the abusive situation, contact High Stakes Injury Law. Our team takes pride in defending the rights of victims of nursing home abuse, and we are ready to stand by your side throughout the process. Call us at (702) 707-5934 as soon as possible for a free review of your case.

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