Negligent Feeding

What is Negligent Feeding?

Many nursing home residents, especially patients with dementia or those who have suffered from a stroke, are given nourishment via the use of feeding tubes. Occasionally, physicians and nursing home staff have to explain to relatives that their loved ones are incapable of eating solid foods because they no longer know how or cannot swallow properly. Other times, elderly residents have to be fed by spoon by caregivers in order to receive adequate nutrition.  In many instances, however, negligence on behalf of staff members causes an array of medical problems for nursing home and hospital residents.

Negligent feeding may involved missed feedings, improper insertion of feeding tubes, accidental removal of a tube, or failure to check placement of the tube.

Risks Associated With Feeding Tubes

According to a survey published by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 51.8% of 486 participants reported that healthcare providers strongly recommended the insertion of feeding tubes. In the same survey, 12.6% of the participants indicated that doctors pressured them into allowing the use of feeding tubes. In addition, almost 26% of patients with dementia were physically restrained, while nearly 1/3 were restrained with drugs.The study also reports that nearly 15% of respondents reported that doctors ordered the use of feeding tubes without authorization from family members.

Though healthcare providers point out that dementia patients lose the ability to eat or swallow food independently, the allegedly benign feeding tube method is often not beneficial. Along with several side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, many nursing home staff members improperly insert feeding tubes. For example, in 2012, a nursing home in Santa Fe, New Mexico was sued after a caregiver improperly inserted a feeding tube into the victim’s abdomen. As a result, the victim required hospitalization and an intrusive surgery.

The risks of negligent feeding are extensive. Yet, most often, these dangers can be prevented if nursing home staff members provide the quality medical care needed for the residents who require assistance in feedings. According to the National Center on Biotechnology Information, dangers associated with feeding tubes include:

• Risk of death
• Aspiration pneumonia
• Head injuries
• Esophageal injuries
• Severe infections, including blood stream infections
• Diarrhea and/or constipation
• Abdominal cramping and bloating
• Malnutrition

Missed Feedings

In other instances, nursing home residents may not have feeding tubes but rather they rely on nursing home staff for regular feedings. Patients with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or physical disabilities are sometimes unable to properly feed themselves.

With an overwhelming staffing shortage in many of the nation’s nursing homes, these patients often go without regularly scheduled feedings. In addition, many of the feedings lack the adequate amount of nutrition that special-needs patients require as caregivers become negligent with the diet requirements necessitated by each resident. On other occasions, caregivers may rush through feedings resulting in the patients not being given enough nutrition.

These missed or improper feedings can cause dramatic weight-loss, dehydration, starvation, and even death.

What Should You Do if Your Loved One is Receiving Negligent Feeding?

If you or a loved one has been victim to nursing home abuse and/or negligent feeding, an experienced nursing home abuse attorney may be able to assist you. At MedMalFirm.com, our leading team of nursing home abuse lawyers have helped numerous victims win their cases and receive financial compensation for their sufferings related to medical malpractice and negligent feeding. Give us a call today at 877-887-4850 or fill out our online submission form and we will be happy to provide you with a free consultation.

Sources

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/for-the-elderly-lists-of-tests-to-avoid/
http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/feeding-tube-decisions-often-made-in-haste/
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03385.x/abstract
http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/08/30/north/nursing-home-sued-over-tube-infection.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12690267
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17268247