Enhance recovery in nursing home cases.Many injuries to nursing home residents develop from unacceptable care over a long period of time. Evidence of chronic neglect, as opposed to momentary mo·men·tar·y adj. 1. Lasting for only a moment. 2. Occurring or present at every moment: in momentary fear of being exposed. 3. Short-lived or ephemeral, as a life. carelessness, can enhance the recovery your client receives. For example, malnutrition malnutrition, insufficiency of one or more nutritional elements necessary for health and well-being. Primary malnutrition is caused by the lack of essential foodstuffs—usually vitamins, minerals, or proteins—in the diet. and dehydration dehydration Method of food preservation in which moisture (primarily water) is removed. Dehydration inhibits the growth of microorganisms and often reduces the bulk of food. result from long-term deprivation of food and liquids. These conditions do not occur overnight. Nor do pressure ulcers Pressure ulcer Also known as a decubitus ulcer, pressure ulcers are open wounds that form whenever prolonged pressure is applied to skin covering bony outcrops of the body. Patients who are bedridden are at risk of developing pressure ulcers. , which are tissue sores caused by pressure or friction. They are often the result of chronic neglect, such as the staffs continually failing to reposition the patient or leaving him or her in soiled undergarments for days. Chronic neglect can also cause falls if, for example, the nursing home fails to address a patient's risk of falling due to problems with balance or side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. of medication. The facility's own records--such as turning schedules, pressure-ulcer treatment sheets, and nurses' notes--will often prove that the neglect was chronic. By focusing on this evidence, you can help the jury understand that the nursing home--hour by hour, shift by shift, and day by day--systematically and deliberately ignored a condition that resulted in a serious injury. Steven Levin Chicago, Illinois |
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