Peck Ritchey, LLC > Nursing Home Abuse/Neglect > Nursing Home Malnutrition/Dehydration

Nursing Home Malnutrition/Dehydration Lawyers

When we make the difficult decision to place our elderly loved ones in a nursing home, we trust that they will be well cared for. Unfortunately, sometimes nursing home staff violate this trust and fail to provide their residents with the care they need and deserve, causing them harm. Malnutrition and dehydration can arise from poor or improper care in a nursing home, which can lead to a host of health issues or even wrongful death. Peck Ritchey, LLC are experienced nursing home negligence attorneys committed to helping you and your family get the compensation and peace of mind you deserve.

If your loved one was a victim of malnutrition or dehydration in a nursing home, contact the Chicago nursing home malnutrition and dehydration lawyers at Peck Ritchey, LLC. We can help you begin to set things right by holding those individuals and corporations accountable for nursing home neglect. Call us today at (312) 201-0900 for a completely free and confidential case evaluation.

How Can a Lawyer Help?

Nursing home malnutrition and dehydration cases, much like other personal injury cases, involve complex legal processes. These cases often deal with a host of actors such as insurance companies, nursing home administration, and individual nursing home staff members. Such nursing home negligence cases are extremely hard to navigate without the help of a knowledgeable and experienced lawyer. Qualified legal counsel will bring experience to the table in order to fight against the common defenses that nursing homes will attempt to argue.

A lawyer can make sure that nursing homes will not be able to get away with covering up their staff’s behavior. By arguing your claim effectively, they can help your loved one get the compensation necessary to begin to address the resulting physical injury and mental trauma. Trying to handle your claim yourself will likely cause you to receive far less money than you would with a lawyer’s help.

Why Choose Peck Ritchey, LLC?

With over 100 years of combined experience, the lawyers at Peck Ritchey, LLC are dedicated to fighting for the rights of the elderly. Our firm is a leader in Chicago-are nursing home abuse and neglect cases, including those involving malnutrition and dehydration. All of our practice areas revolve around protecting the elderly. We are a highly decorated elder care law firm and a member of the Elder Care Matters Alliance. Our lawyers have also been named Super Lawyers in Illinois and maintain a perfect 10 rating on Avvo.

Because of our commitment to upholding responsible care, Peck Ritchey, LLC will provide the highest level of legal services to ensure that we address the unique details of your case. Our Chicago nursing home malnutrition and dehydration lawyers will work with you every step of the way to ensure that you can get the compensation that you deserve and get your loved one the potential medical care they need.

Signs of Nursing Home Malnutrition and Dehydration

Some signs of malnutrition and dehydration can be more obvious than others, and many mirror the signs of neglect. Some common indicators of malnutrition or dehydration include, but are not limited to:

  • Vision issues: Red or glassy eyes and deteriorating vision without
    explanation may be signs of malnutrition.
  • Mental/cognitive difficulties: Dehydration and malnutrition can often impact your elderly loved one’s ability to think or speak clearly, and they may become restless and irritable. More advanced cases can lead to greater confusion and dementia.
  • Muscular fatigue: Your elderly loved one may become fatigued more easily as the body pulls nutrients from muscular tissue to make up for a lack of nourishment.
  • Skin issues: The skin may become more yellow or become duller in individuals with a darker complexion. Wrinkles may intensify.
  • Sores or other signs around the mouth: This can include discoloration of the mouth, canker sores, thrush, or a yeast infection in the area of the mouth.

If the malnutrition or dehydration is inflicted by an abusive or neglectful caregiver, your loved one may be hesitant to come forward about the maltreatment for fear of retribution. It is therefore important that you work carefully to create a dialogue with your loved one. By talking regularly with them about their daily experiences, you will be better able to assess whether or not they are being treated with respect and care at their nursing home facility.

Proving Nursing Home Malnutrition or Dehydration

To successfully bring a claim for compensation against a nursing home that caused your loved one to be malnourished or dehydrated, you will have to prove four aspects of negligence. These include:

  • The nursing home owed your loved one a duty of care to keep them safe and healthy by providing them with adequate food and water.
  • The nursing home violated this duty of care by failing to provide your loved one with food and/or water.
  • The nursing home’s violation of the duty of care directly caused your loved one to suffer injuries or become sick.
  • Your loved one’s injuries caused them significant damages, such as medical expenses or pain and suffering.

You must prove these components by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning it is more likely than not that the neglect occurred. Your lawyer can help you gather the evidence necessary to prove these components, which may include nursing home intake papers, medical records, witness testimony, statements from experts, and more.

Contact Peck Ritchey, LLC Today

We put a great deal of trust, and often money, into nursing home care. Tragically, nursing homes and their staff members do not always take adequate steps to ensure that their elderly residents are getting their basic needs met. Sometimes, this neglect comes from carelessness, but sometimes it is malicious.

Peck Ritchey, LLC is here to help you fight for the compensation that you and your family need and deserve, so that you may begin to heal from the effects of physical and emotional trauma. If your loved one has fallen victim to dehydration and/or malnutrition in a Chicago-area nursing home, contact Peck Ritchey, LLC as soon as possible. Our experienced and compassionate nursing home abuse lawyers are here to help you. Call (312) 201-0900 today to schedule a completely free initial case evaluation with a member of our legal team.

Testimonials

Attorney Kyle Fahey handled our matter with skill and professionalism, and was always responsive. 10/10, would work with him and the firm again.

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The peace of mind that Peck Ricthey's office has given me is worth every penny. The services they provided me and my family in an emergency medical situation is beyond outstanding. Last minute notice, Peter Brady and team were compassionate, understanding and most importantly efficient and got the job done. Look no further if you have any needs that this office can provide for you. Definitely in good hands! Thank you, a thousand times over for all of your help.

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I solicited Peck Ritchey, LLC for assistance with a living trust for which I became the beneficiary. I needed assistance with understanding the details of how it all worked. However, I was especially concerned because there were threats of allegations made by family members and a lawsuit was filed against me. I needed a solid professional who had my best interests in mind. Peter Brady took my case and he managed it flawlessly. He explained everything in a way I could understand, he knew the law inside and out, he was always available to answer questions, and even offer support when things seemed like they could become extremely problematic. In addition to this, he had a plan. He navigated the course as if he already knew the next move by the opposing attorney. He made me feel like everything was in control and that’s because he knew exactly what he was doing and he consulted with me about everything. We ended up settling out of court and ultimately the court officially dismissed the lawsuit. I honestly believe if it wasn’t for Peter and his expertise this could have gone in an entirely different direction. Peter did a stellar job and I couldn’t be more pleased and impressed with his performance.

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