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Malnutrition is a form of nursing home neglect

One sometimes overlooked aspect of good nursing home care in Virginia is the quality of food and beverages that nursing home residents receive. The better the nutrition, the better a resident’s health and ability to fight off common problems like illness and bedsores.

If a nursing home resident is malnourished, they can suffer from a variety of problems including infections, muscle weakness, falls, pressure ulcers, mental confusion, pneumonia, and other illnesses. Malnutrition is a preventable problem, and no nursing home resident deserves to suffer from this kind of neglectful care.

Causes of nursing home malnutrition

While malnutrition can be caused by poor care, there are physical factors that can lead to a resident becoming malnourished. These include illness that prevents a resident from eating, the adverse effects of a drug (i.e. nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), depression, difficulty swallowing, tremors that make it difficult for a resident to feed themselves, or mouth problems like missing or sore teeth, poorly fitted dentures, or mouth sores.

Malnutrition can also be caused by the type of care received at a nursing home. If staff are inattentive around residents who need help eating, the resident might not get enough to eat and could suffer as a result. Staff not properly trained about good nutrition or proper feeding techniques can cause malnutrition, as can staff who rely too heavily on a liquid diet.

Signs of malnutrition in nursing home residents

These are signs that a nursing home resident could be suffering from malnutrition:

If you suspect that your loved one is not getting enough to eat or is not being fed the right foods in a Virginia nursing home, you should bring your concerns to the attention of the facility manager. There may be a simple reason for the problem, such as the resident has a mouth sore that nobody noticed or they don’t like eating in front of other residents. Alternately, there could be a more serious issue that needs to be addressed like poor quality food or inadequately trained staff.

If, after talking to the nursing home, you still have concerns about the treatment that your loved one is receiving, please contact the nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at the Norfolk office of Weisberg & Zaleski to discuss your situation.

Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.

112 College Place

Norfolk, VA 23510

Toll Free: (800) 690-0235

Phone: (757) 622-7740

Fax: (757) 533-9223




Michael S. Weisberg, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
Email: info@weislaw.com
www.weislaw.com