Dehydration Leads To Lawsuit Against Minnesota Nursing Home
Just 20 days after entering the Golden Living Center, 71-year-old Dean Cole lost 20 pounds due to malnutrition and dehydration. According to Mark Wandersee of the Eldercare Rights Alliance, the nursing home staff is to blame for his rapid deterioration. "He wasn't getting the care he needed for food and water," said Wandersee.
A wrongful death lawsuit was filed against the nursing home alleging Cole's dehydration caused kidney failure and brain damage and ultimately his death.
Notes in Cole's medical chart verify that the nursing home staff was aware he was not eating. The nursing home staff wrote:
- Resident picks at food
- Needed to be fed for supper
- Not eating well
- Resident refusing to eat
Despite the multiple notations of Cole's inability to eat while unsupervised, his records indicate that he ate the majority of his meals when engaged in mealtime conversation with nurses. My guess is that this nursing home was seriously understaffed to care for residents such as Mr. Cole.
Here is a video of the news story related to this episode of dehydration and malnutrition.
Comments (1)
Read through and enter the discussion by using the form at the endLisa Perkins - June 29, 2011 7:19 PM
My mother stayed at Golden Livng Center in Mississippi. She was sent to the emergency room several times and was found to be dehydrated. When the center was confronted they said mother would eat but not everything. However when I fed her she ate everyhing. It took her a little longer but she did eat. She had Alzheimers so she could not feed herself. I believe the staff would not take the time to feed her. Also, she gained 10 bed sores while she was there. Once the ER identified the sore they did not take proper procedures to prevent the sore from becoming larger until a new director took rein. By then the sore was as large as a grapefruit. We eventually move her to Charlotte NC Golden Living Center and the nursing staff was at awe at her sores. It was also stated to us that this should have never happened. We have went to 3 attorney's and no one will take on Golden Living Centers. My mother passed away last year. My hope is to bring awareness to the public about the abuse not only in Golden Lving Centers but I'm sure it is occuring elsewhere. Please visit my blog