Assistance with Feeding

Our experienced malnutrition attorneys in Los Angeles serve clients across the state of California with injuries related to assistance with feeding. The feeding of nursing home patients and assisted living residents with functional and cognitive disabilities is a challenging and time-consuming task for caregivers. Even after proper training, about 30 to 60 minutes of staff time is required to safely and sufficiently feed a resident. The resident-staff ratio should thus be one facility employee for every two or three residents for proper eating assistance. But, in reality, as many as 7 to 15 residents are under one employee’s care. It is therefore not surprising that many of the nutritional supplements ordered by physicians are not actually served and consumed by patients and residents. This failure to follow physician’s orders may lead to many consequences, including the development of serious pressure sores.

Quality improvement in feeding assistance can promote weight gain. Use of verbal prompting and social interactions with residents during mealtime and snacks can improve caloric intake. Staff who have received feeding skills training programs have shown more positive behaviors toward feeding patients and residents with increased knowledge of feeding problems. To manage and prevent malnutrition of elders, nursing homes and assisted living facilities should thus properly train their staff and implement staffing models that can increase the time spent on feeding assistance care. If you or your loved one has suffered harm due to failure by a facility to provide adequate nutrition, contact a Los Angeles malnutrition attorney today for a consultation regarding your rights and possible legal claims.

When patients and residents require assistance with feeding, they rely on their caregivers to prevent them from becoming malnourished. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that a facility is not only adequately staffed, but also trained to meet the various nutritional needs of each individual patient. Mealtimes can often be hectic and are usually a good indicator of the quality of a facility’s staff. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities that provide a high standard of care employ both dieticians to supervise at mealtimes and sufficient staff to assist with feeding.

Although you should be able to trust that the facility will properly care for your loved one, you can never be too careful. It is important that you continue to closely monitor your loved one’s weight and nutrition, especially if he or she requires assistance with feeding. Unfortunately, we often see egregious cases of neglect in which residents are starved to death. For example, instead of being fed the pureed foods that were ordered by a physician, caregivers feed the residents solid foods that they cannot chew or swallow. Instead of receiving the assistance with feeding that they require, caregivers carelessly leave plates of food in front of residents who cannot eat independently. When mealtime is over, the plates are taken away, even when they are left untouched. Such reckless disregard by facility staff can lead to serious consequences including death.

If you have noticed that your loved one has lost a significant amount of weight since being admitted to a facility, you have reason to suspect abuse and may wish to contact a Los Angeles malnutrition attorney. Witnessing your loved one undergo neglect is already difficult enough to handle on your own. You shouldn’t have to worry about the stress of taking legal action as well. Let our team of dedicated lawyers guide you through the litigation process. We will take care of the many nuances and fine details that a nursing home negligence and elder abuse case entails. Equipped with more than 16 years of experience, the Law Offices of Ben Yeroushalmi is prepared to fight relentlessly for your loved one’s rights and achieve rewards in your favor. Please do not hesitate to contact our lawyers today for a free case evaluation.