Dehydration in Michigan Nursing Homes

Dehydration in Michigan nursing homes is a major problem for the elderly. Many nursing home residents do not have the mental competence to ensure that they are drinking the appropriate amount of liquids each day. They rely on nursing home staff to monitor their liquid intake and provide them with necessary hydration. When an elderly person suffers from dehydration, the consequences are serious and often deadly.

However, because of the duty of care that a nursing facility owes, staff members must still ensure that each resident is properly hydrated and healthy. If your loved one has suffered a worsened medical condition due to dehydration, you should pursue legal recourse.

Because of the complex process involved in filing a nursing home lawsuit, an experienced Michigan nursing home dehydration lawyer nursing homes is necessary. A compassionate attorney at The Buckfire Law Firm will explain your rights, answer your questions, and help you request compensation for your loved one’s damages.

• Is Dehydration Common in a Nursing Home?
• What are the Symptoms of Dehydration?
• Can I Sue a Michigan nursing home for dehydration?

Why Hydration is Important for the Elderly

Proper hydration is important for healthy skin and organs, healing, mental wellness, kidney function, and a host of other physiological and psychological reasons. Unfortunately, it is often a challenge for nursing home staff to get elderly residents to stay hydrated.

While proper hydration is essential for every person, elderly nursing home residents are inherently at an increased risk for severe health problems when they are dehydrated. Specifically, a lack of hydration might lead to:

• Pressure ulcers
• Infections and sepsis
• Weakness leading to immobility
• Weight loss
• Renal failure
• Urinary tract infections
• Gastrointestinal problems and illnesses
• Falls and poor nutrition

Suffering any of these conditions will likely lead to medical bills, potential hospitalizations, pain, and in some cases, even death. If a nursing home fails to prevent a resident from becoming dehydrated, they might be deemed liable to provide compensation through a civil lawsuit.

Is Dehydration Common in a Nursing Home?

Dehydration is unfortunately very common in nursing homes. Because many residents are unable to feed themselves or may not understand the need for good hydration, they rely on the nursing home staff to make sure they are properly hydrated. Main reasons for resident dehydration include improper supervision, medical monitoring, and assessments.

In addition to medical issues such as swallowing disorders, like dysphagia, and mental impairment, many residents are unable to properly communicate their needs. This can be due to speech and language issues, for example from a stroke, or even due to language barriers between the resident and staff members.

Necessary fluid intake can be achieved by simple interventions and measures by staff members. These interventions include providing residents with liquids on a regular basis and monitoring them to make sure the liquids were consumed. Also having staff help them to drink while properly positioned in bed or in a chair is essential to preventing dehydration.

What are the Symptoms of Dehydration?

Nursing home staff are trained to detect signs and symptoms of dehydration. The most common symptoms that a person has inadequate hydration include:

• A sticky and dry mouth from the lack of liquids
• Expressing frequently being thirsty or asking for something to drink
• Having low urine output and infrequent urination. If a resident has a catheter, staff should pay careful attention to output levels to see if dehydration is a concern.

When dehydration becomes more prolonged and severe, the symptoms can include:

• Confusion, delirium, and irritability
• Inability to sweat
• Sunken eyes and cheeks
• Low blood pressure
• Loss of consciousness

Families of nursing home residents should also be familiar with these symptoms. Many times, it is a family member that alerts the nursing home facility regarding dehydration concerns because the staff failed to both recognize or act upon the symptoms.

Can I Sue a Michigan nursing home for dehydration?

Under the Michigan Public Health Code, residents of nursing homes are owed a duty of care and personal safety by staff members and a facility’s rules and regulations. Therefore, the requirement to keep residents hydrated falls under these regulations. When a resident suffers harm due to nursing home neglect and abuse, the resident and family can sue the nursing home.

A nursing home lawsuit claims that a facility or staff member’s inability to properly hydrate a resident was the root cause of their injuries or worsened medical condition. This might arise if a nursing facility is understaffed, too busy, making assumptions, or failing to assess the overall condition of a resident.

However, actually demonstrating the root cause of dehydration in a Michigan nursing home for a civil lawsuit is often complex. To this end, anyone pursuing compensation on behalf of an elderly loved one might benefit from the counsel of an experienced Michigan nursing home lawyer.

Dehydration Lawsuit Case Study

An 84-year-old nursing home resident had a history of a stroke and swalling disorder. A family membernoticed his deteriorated condition on a visit. The staff doctor determined the resident was severly dehydrated. He passed away and the cause of death was listed as sepsis and dehydration.

A nursing home neglect lawsuit was filed against the facility. Records established that he was not provided liquids on a regular basis. Prior to trial, the insurance company for the skilled nursing facility settled with the estate for $400,000.

Contact a Michigan Nursing Home Dehydration Lawyer

When you place your loved one in the care of a nursing facility, you hope they will be treated with respect and receive the highest level of care. Unfortunately, dehydration in Michigan nursing homes is a common issue. As a result, you can pursue compensation to hold negligent staff members accountable if your loved one has incurred a worsened medical condition.

By contacting The Buckfire Law Firm, you can rest assured that an experienced nursing home attorney will to fight to request the compensation you and your loved one deserve.

We charge no legal fees unless you win a settlement. And, there are no upfront costs to start your case!