If your loved one suffered extreme weight loss at a nursing home, you may have a claim, meaning you can bring a lawsuit against the nursing home for neglect. Caregivers and nursing home staff should weigh residents regularly and provide them with adequate nutrition in order to avoid extreme weight loss. A nursing home that neglects to ensure residents’ health and well-being in this way may be required to compensate the resident for relevant medical expenses and pain and suffering.
The Nursing Home Federal Regulations require nursing homes to obtain accurate weight measurements for each of their residents on a regular basis. Except in special circumstances such as terminal illness, caregivers should weigh residents regularly using functioning scales with appropriate calibration. In obtaining these measurements, staff should be as consistent as possible, which means weighing a resident at around the same time every day and using the same scale each time. Caregivers should ensure that factors like clothing, orthotics, and scale accuracy all contribute to consistent and accurate weight measurements.
Extreme weight loss in a nursing home resident may signify a medical condition or a lack of proper nutrition. Nursing homes can minimize the risk of extreme weight loss by developing an individualized care plan for each resident that includes providing for their dietary needs. Through consistent and accurate weighing practices, caregivers and staff should be able to detect sudden changes in weight and adjust a resident’s care plan accordingly.
A nursing home which fails to notice a resident’s weight changes, or which fails to provide proper nutrition and fluid intake to its residents, may be held accountable for any resulting medical conditions and pain and suffering on the resident’s part. In such a case, Georgia state law requires the nursing home to provide the resident with financial recompense, which includes covering the cost of related medical conditions and compensating the resident for any pain and suffering caused by the nursing home’s neglect.
If your loved one suffered extreme weight loss at a nursing home or assisted living facility, and you are wondering if you have a claim, please feel free to call and speak to one of our experienced Georgia nursing home neglect lawyers today. Our consultations are always free. If you would like more information about this topic, be sure to click on our other videos, or better yet, click the subscribe button to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thank you.
