Malnutrition among nursing home residents can be indicative of either intentional abuse or ongoing neglect. Abusive workers may deprive residents of nutrition as a means of punishing or controlling them. Other times, cost-cutting measures lead to portioning or the poor quality foods being available for residents.
Even in facilities that offer well-rounded menus, older adults are at risk of malnutrition due to their medical challenges. People with dementia, in particular, are vulnerable to malnutrition-related complications later in life. Nursing homes have a responsibility to monitor people with dementia to properly meet their basic needs.
Dementia can affect appetite and independence
Older adults experiencing dementia may struggle to recognize when they are hungry. It is necessary for the staff of a nursing home to track when residents eat and to ensure they receive the minimum nutrition necessary for their health.
Particularly when an older adult struggles with dementia, self-regulated nutrition may not be a safe and sustainable practice. The facility may need to monitor their nutrition and offer supplements, possibly in the form of a feeding tube in more extreme cases.
Malnutrition can exacerbate the symptoms of dementia and worsen an older adult’s prognosis. If care providers do not ensure that older adults receive adequate nutrition despite their dementia-related challenges, the older adult may have a much more rapid decline and could also incur higher overall long-term care costs than those who receive sufficient nutrition regularly.
Given the well-known association between malnutrition and dementia onset, families could have grounds for a nursing home negligence lawsuit. Reviewing internal records can help families hold long-term care facilities responsible for failing to properly support vulnerable adults.
