Nursing homes are responsible for ensuring that their patients are well-fed and cared for. Usually, their staff is trained to meet this standard of care. However, sometimes nursing homes and their employees behave negligently.
Nutritional neglect occurs when a nursing home patient does not receive adequate nutrition, which will negatively impact their health. Medline Plusnotes that the lack of even one vitamin in a person’s diet can cause malnutrition.
If your loved one is experiencing nutritional neglect at their nursing home, our legal team can help. Nutritional neglect is a form of nursing home neglect and could be grounds for legal action. An Arbutus nursing home nutritional neglect attorney from Brown & Barron can review your case. We can explain your legal options to you.
Get in touch with a nursing homes nutritional neglect lawyer serving Arbutus, (410) 547-0202 for a free case evaluation.
Nutritional Neglect Causes
Older people are particularly susceptible to nutritional neglect. Some are unable to feed themselves due to various cognitive or physical ailments. Others have conditions that can make it difficult for older adults to swallow (a problem called aphagia).
These diseases can cause difficulties eating, too:
- Depression: Mental health issues can cause a loss of appetite.
- Dementia or Alzheimer’s: These conditions can make the elderly forgetful or confused. They may have trouble eating on their own or forget to eat altogether. The late stages of these diseases can also affect the ability to swallow.
- Medication: Prescription medications can reduce the appetite and make food taste bad.
These conditions frequently appear in older adults. This means that nursing homes must be attentive when feeding their residents. If they are inattentive or neglectful, residents can suffer from nutritional neglect, resulting in malnutrition.
Signs of Nutritional Neglect
Weight loss is the most apparent sign of nutritional neglect. However, other symptoms are less easy to spot, such as:
- Red eyes
- Mouth sores
- Irritability
- Vision problems
- Slower healing
- Muscle weakness
If you believe your loved one is malnourished, ask them about it. If they can communicate, they may share they aren’t receiving enough to eat at the nursing home. Nutritional neglect can occur alongside other types of nursing home abuse, too. Speaking with families of other residents can be informative, as can looking into the living conditions of your loved one’s nursing home.
Compensation in an Arbutus Nutritional Neglect Case
Various expenses can accompany nutritional neglect cases. Compensation from a settlement can offset these costs. The damages you can pursue in a nutritional neglect case include:
- Relocation costs: You may have expenses when moving your loved one to a new nursing home or another residence.
- Medical expenses: Malnutrition may require IV nutritional therapy during the recovery process.
- Non-economic damages: These include pain, mental anguish, and suffering that your loved one suffered.
Wrongful Death
Malnutrition doesn’t frequently end in wrongful death. If you lost your loved one to nursing home neglect, however, we extend our deepest condolences. We’re honored to provide legal services to families seeking compensation after losing their loved ones.
Wrongful death cases have their specific damages, including:
- Funeral expenses
- Medical costs incurred before your loved one’s passing
- Loss of close personal relationship
These cases are typically more complex than standard nutritional neglect cases. Only certain family members can pursue wrongful death claims and lawsuits on behalf of their lost loved ones. A member of our team can inform you of your wrongful death eligibility.
Arbutus Nursing Home Nutritional Neglect Cases Are Time-Sensitive
Nutritional neglect cases in Arbutus are subject to Maryland’s statute of limitations. According toMd. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc., § 5-109 (2022), you have either three years after the injury was discovered or should reasonably have been discovered or five years from the injury, whichever was earlier, to file a lawsuit. The statute of limitations for a wrongful death lawsuit is also three years, perMd. Cts. & Jud. Proc. Code § 3-904.
If you don’t file within the statute of limitations deadline for your case, you risk losing the right to sue the liable party for damages. This means it is important to get started on your nutritional neglect case as soon as possible. If we handle your case, we will meet all deadlines.
Let Our Team Handle Your Arbutus Nursing Home Nutritional Neglect Case
An Arbutus nursing home nutritional neglect lawyer from Brown & Barron can manage your case. We will use our nearly 140 years of combined trial experience to seek a favorable outcome for your family. We haverecovered tens of millions for our clientsand will fight for fair compensation for your loved one.
Contact Brown & Barron online today to schedule a free case review with a with a nursing homes nutritional neglect lawyer serving Arbutus.
How Can Our Arbutus Nursing Home Nutritional Neglect Attorneys Help?
Our team supports victims of nutritional neglect in several ways.These are the services that we provide to our clients:
Reviewing Evidence
Evidence is a critical component of nutritional neglect cases. Collecting evidence is time-consuming, but we can handle it on your behalf by:
- Working toward finding evidence that highlights nutritional neglect
- Communicating with other members of your loved one’s nursing home
- Speaking with relevant employees
Establishing Fault
Proving that another party harmed your loved one is a multistep process involving four elements.To establish fault, you must prove:
- The nursing home staff members owed your loved one a duty of care.
- They failed to uphold this duty.
- This failure exposed your loved one to malnutrition risk.
- Your loved one suffered compensatory damages because of this risk.
Our team can employ evidence to argue that your loved one deserves to receive compensation for their losses.
Communicating With Relevant Parties
Nutritional neglect claims and lawsuits involve many moving parts. Managing these cases requires communicating with multiple parties, including but not limited to insurers and nursing homes. These communications are important. Conversations between lawyers and the at-fault party often determine the outcome of many cases.
Testimonials
Legal support is only one part of the services we provide, though. We want you and your loved one to feel cared for as you navigate your nutritional neglect case. To do so, we show genuine interest in our clients and promptly answer their questions. This commitment has led to many satisfied clients.Here is what some say about working with Brown & Barron:
- “They are a very consistent company and make sure you know the process and the stages you’re going through. Also, they let you know all the information they receive about your case and keep you updated on everything they do.” – J.J.
- “Everyone that I came in contact with at Brown & Barron was extremely helpful and courteous. I felt very confident in my case after meeting the legal team. I would recommend them to anyone.” – A. O.
No Upfront Fees
Most personal injury law firms adhere to a contingency fee payment plan.This type of plan means:
- The firm doesn’t charge anything up front for its services.
- Its payment is a percentage of the client’s final settlement or court-ordered award.
- It does not charge for its services if it cannot recover compensation for you.
At Brown & Barron, we work on contingency. We strive to support clients, regardless of their financial circumstances. Don’t let financial worries stop you from hiring a lawyer. We can answer any questions you have about our payment arrangement.
You can call our offices for a free, no-obligation case evaluation today. We can review your legal options for your loved one and the steps you can take today.