Kentucky nursing home cited in resident death

Barry Doyle

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 800

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A Kentucky nursing home was recently cited by the state for care deficiencies which has resulted in harm to residents of the facility.

In one instance, the facility was cited with failing to change the feeding tube of a resident, resulting in dehydration and death.

Dehydration is a hidden killer in nursing homes. Elderly residents have a diminished sense of thirst, so they need to be encouraged to drink frequently in order to maintain adequate fluid levels. Dehydration can lead to a host of other medical problems.

Other residents who are too debilitated to take in fluids independently must depend on the staff to make sure that they get enough to drink. For tube-feeding residents, hydration is provided through the tube, and monitoring the amount of hydration should be simple for the staff. Allowing a tube-feeding resident to die from dehydration is inexcusable.