Individuals in their senior years are more susceptible to serious injuries and illnesses for various reasons. Often, health issues that may not have a significant effect on a younger person could put an elderly individual's health in jeopardy. Dehydration is no different, and if you have recently had to place a loved one in a nursing home, you may want to ensure that he or she is getting enough to drink.
Do the elderly become dehydrated easily?
Unfortunately, it is easy for elderly people to suffer from dehydration. If your loved one has Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia or cognitive issue, he or she could simply forget to drink enough throughout the day. If your loved one has mobility issues, it may prove immensely difficult for him or her to get a drink if water is not easily within reach or otherwise accessible.
Of course, nursing home staff members should make sure that your loved one has easy access to water and consumes enough throughout the day. If concerns exist about your loved one getting enough to drink, staff members should monitor that concern closely to prevent dehydration.
Signs of dehydration
If your loved one does become dehydrated, he or she could suffer serious health effects, like kidney problems, heatstroke, seizures and low blood volume. If you notice any of the following symptoms in your loved one, they could be red flags for dehydration:
If you gently pinch the skin on the back of your loved one's hand and it does not immediately flatten out as usual, that could also point to dehydration.
What can you do?
Depending on the severity of the dehydration, your loved one may need immediate medical attention. This type of scenario may be understandably upsetting for everyone involved as you trusted the nursing home staff to care for your loved one. Instead, their negligence led to this harrowing situation. If such a case, you may have reason to take legal action against the nursing home in efforts to seek compensation for their negligence and resulting damages.
]]>The diagnosis undoubtedly felt like a major blow to both of you. At the time, your parent may still have had enough cognitive ability to go about his or her daily routine without outside help. However, you now believe that it is not in your parent's best interests to remain in control of his or her affairs.
Seeking guardianship
If you want to handle your parent's affairs, you need legal authority to do so. Typically, guardianship becomes necessary if your parent lives alone, cannot make rational decisions any longer and refuses help. If your parent agreed to have you take over his or her affairs early on, creating a power of attorney arrangement may have avoided the need for guardianship. If not, you will need to take legal steps.
The legal aspects of pursuing guardianship are necessary because it essentially removes a person's right to handle his or her own affairs, which is not something to take lightly. As a result, you will need to file a petition with the court to request guardianship as well as provide evidence as to why you believe your parent has reached a point of incompetence. The court will likely not take just your word, and a court psychologist may determine the competency of your parent.
Court approval
Even if the court does agree that your parent has reached a point of incompetence due to Alzheimer's disease, it does not automatically assume that you are fit for the role of guardian. The court will look at various details to determine whether you would make an appropriate guardian.
You undoubtedly only want what is best for your parent, but proving that to the court can be difficult. As a result, you may want to ensure that you have an advocate on your side who could help you present your case to the court. An experienced Texas attorney could help you take the best course of action to protect your parent as he or she battles this debilitating disease.
]]>At first, you may have seemed happy with the facility, its staff members, the care your loved one received and other aspects of the situation. However, more recently, you began to notice your family member's health seeming to deteriorate, and you wondered whether the staff was providing him or her with necessary assistance.
Is malnutrition a concern?
Unfortunately, many nursing home residents suffer from malnutrition when they do not receive the help they need. In some cases, residents may have mobility issues that make it difficult for them to lift utensils to feed themselves, have difficulty swallowing, take medications that make them feel nauseous or experience other factors that may result in their needing more attention and assistance to ensure that they receive the nutrients they need.
If you notice any of the following signs of malnutrition with your loved one, you have reason to feel concerned:
As you undoubtedly know, these symptoms could cause serious health concerns on their own, and if they do point to malnutrition, your loved one may need immediate medical attention.
How did this happen?
As mentioned, various factors can result in individuals having difficulty eating or otherwise getting the nutrients they need. However, it is the responsibility of the nursing home staff to provide assistance during meal times to ensure that patients eat, whether that means a staff member feeding a patient or monitoring a patient to ensure he or she feeds him or herself. If staff members do not take these steps, malnutrition is a serious possibility.
If you believe that nursing home negligence resulted in your loved one suffering from malnutrition, you may feel a myriad of emotions. Though getting your family member the medical care he or she needs is certainly your top priority, you may also want to hold responsible those who allowed this to happen. If so, you may want to consider filing a legal claim for nursing home neglect against the facility.
]]>The unfortunate truth is that, as people age, they become more vulnerable to elder fraud, particularly financial exploitation. The Department of Justice has outlined some of the potential sources of fraud you may want to watch for in your efforts to protect your parents.
Scam number one: Tech support
Your parents may be among many Texas elderly adults who do not have the tech savvy needed in today's technological world. This leaves them vulnerable to scammers who may contact them alleging your parents' computer has an issue. The person on the other end of the line will want to take control of the computer remotely in order to make repairs, which are non-existent or caused by the scammers in the first place. Your parents then pay for this so-called service, but that may not be the end of it.
Some will take the scam even further and steal more money from your parents by first offering a refund for services no longer available and then saying they received too much in refunds. The perpetrator will then require payments from your parents to make up for the difference.
Scam number two: Suspended Social Security number
In this scam, someone contacts your parents pretending to work for the Social Security Administration. The caller claims your parent's Social Security number was suspended for suspicious activity. The caller will then threaten that if they don't act quickly, their accounts will be frozen or seized. The caller ID will most likely make it appear to be a legitimate call, but it probably isn't.
Of course, scammers will want to verify the number and other personal information, which gives the caller everything he or she needs for identity theft. The scammer may also want access to your parents' accounts or have them put their money on gift cards or in some other place to supposedly keep it safe.
Scam number three: The IRS
In this scam, your parents are told they owe unpaid taxes that they need to pay immediately in order to avoid arrest, suspension of a driver's or business license, or even deportation. The caller will insist on immediate payment on a gift card or through a wire transfer. The call will appear legitimate since the person will give a badge number and name.
You and your parents should know that the IRS would never make these calls insisting on immediate payment or make the threats these scammers make.
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Catching a ride with friends or even calling an Uber is not unusual for most people. You have likely ridden in a vehicle many times in your life without having actual control of the car. Still, you may want to speak up if you notice the person driving carrying out dangerous behaviors.
Dangerous driving behaviors
Unfortunately, the person driving the vehicle in which you are a passenger could easily cause an accident. Even if no other vehicles are involved, the chance exists that a serious crash could take place, leaving you severely injured. Some dangerous driving behaviors that could lead to single-vehicle accidents include the following:
If you notice a friend or other driver using a cellphone, speeding or carrying out other dangerous actions, you may want to speak up for the safety of yourself and others.
After an accident
If you do find yourself involved in an accident in which you suffered injuries, you may wonder what to do. Even as a passenger in a single-vehicle accident, you may still have legal options for seeking compensation for medical bills and other damages stemming from the incident.
]]>Your Texas doctor owes you a certain duty of care when you are preparing for surgery, during the procedure and after it's complete. Failure to provide care that meets a certain standard could result in complications for you, including the potential for additional pain and suffering, infection, prolonged hospital stays and more. If you believe that a surgical error, lack of information or poor post-operative care caused you harm, you could have grounds for a malpractice claim.
Important questions
There are certain questions you can ask that will allow you to be well-informed about your surgery and help you understand the procedure. Knowing as much as possible can help you feel more confident, and it can allow you to understand potential risks. These questions are:
Asking these questions and others can help you avoid complications and unpleasant surprises after your surgery. If you suspect something went wrong, you have the right to seek an evaluation of your case.
Victim of a surgical error?
If you are dealing with an unexpectedly complicated recovery, additional pain and the potential for additional corrective surgery, you could be the victim of a surgical error. It may not be immediately apparent what the problem is or what you should do about it, but you may want to speak with an experienced attorney regarding your legal options. An assessment of your case could reveal that you have grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
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