Dehydration

The Los Angeles dehydration abuse lawyers at the Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi have handled many cases of dehydration in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. We understand that there are many injuries that can result from dehydration and our extensive experience has prepared us to provide you and your loved ones with comprehensive legal representation.

Dehydration is an excessive loss of body fluid, which can result from diarrhea or infections, the adverse effects of medications, or decreased fluid intake. Water deprivation can drastically harm elderly patients and residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities because they do not have the necessary fluid content in their body to perform normal and crucial bodily functions.

Studies have illustrated that injuries from dehydration in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are commonplace among patients and residents. Patients and residents are at a greater risk of becoming dehydrated because they rely on staff members to meet their fluid intake requirements. Thirst mechanisms deteriorate with age while bodily fluid levels decline, and cognitive disorders such as dementia can cause residents to forget to drink water as often as they need to. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the caregiver to ensure that your loved one’s fluid intake levels are healthy. Dehydration is a sign of elder abuse. If you believe that your loved one has suffered harm because of a facility’s failure to provide adequate hydration, you may want to contact a dehydration abuse attorney in Los Angeles for additional help.

Dehydration symptoms include thirst, loss of appetite, very dry mouth and skin, skin flushing (markedly red in the face), little or no urination (any urine that is produced will be dark yellow or amber color), fatigue or weakness, irritability and confusion in adults, chills, headache, constipation, dizziness or lightheadedness, lack of sweating, sunken eyes, low blood pressure, fever, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and seizures (in which case emergency help is needed).

Dehydration can be prevented and treated by having adequate hydration. To promote adequate hydration, a skilled nursing or assisted living facility should adopt an individualized daily schedule for each resident. The facility should also train their staff so that they are capable of recognizing the signs of dehydration at early stage and of intervening appropriately before the symptoms get worse.

Dehydrated patients and residents are more susceptible to urinary tract infections, pneumonia, pressure ulcers, and confusion and disorientation. Dehydration can also lead to falls, renal failure, lethargy, stroke and ultimately death. While all of these can be extremely serious injuries, they are widely preventable. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities have a legal duty to prevent these types of injuries stemming from inadequate hydration, and a dehydration abuse lawyer in Los Angeles may be able to help you if your loved one has suffered injury as a result.

Unfortunately, dehydration is often a direct result of understaffing. Facilities with staffing shortages often operate under such a rushed environment that caregivers are unable to provide each patient with the individualized care that he or she needs. Instead, patients and residents are often left thirsty and dehydrated because staff forget to give them water. In more extreme cases, we have even seen elders denied water because staff don’t have time to assist those who urinate too frequently. These are clear signs of neglect. If your loved one has suffered through similar situations, he or she may be a victim of elder abuse.

No individual should have to suffer from dehydration. The Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi believe that every individual should be as free of suffering as possible, even in their last moments. Along with our dedication to fighting for victims of elder abuse, our attorneys have over 16 years of experience litigating nursing home neglect cases. Don’t allow skilled nursing and assisted living facilities to continue putting patients’ and residents’ lives at risk. Please contact the Los Angeles dehydration abuse lawyers of the Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi  online or at (310) 623-1926 immediately so that we can help protect your loved one’s best interests and hold the responsible parties accountable.