Nursing Home Abuse - Choking

When you put someone you love into a nursing home you trust that they will be well taken care of. Nursing home facilities take care of some of our most vulnerable citizens, the elderly. As such, we would hope that they are treated with dignity and respect, but unfortunately this is not always the case. Nursing home abuse and neglect is the unfortunate reality for many of our elderly, and because of their vulnerability the abuse often goes unreported.

For many nursing home residents, swallowing food and medication can be difficult. This is why nursing homes should monitor the food and medication intake of their patients to make sure no choking accidents occur. High risk of death and choking accidents occur when nursing homes do not monitor their resident’s diets and pay close attention to them during mealtime.

Choking proves difficult for the elderly because it is a complex movement that requires 50 different muscles working together to perform one seemingly simple task. Aging causes the deterioration of muscles and the weakening of muscle memory, which can make swallowing difficult for the elderly. This makes food and medication a real danger to patients who cannot consume them properly.

Nursing homes must take steps to make sure their residents are eating appropriately portioned meals in a safe way. If nursing homes fail to monitor their patient’s consumption and do not provide them with the right sized proportions this is negligence on their part. Choking is a significant threat to elderly patients and must be treated as such by their nursing home care facility.

If your loved one has a choking accident or even dies as a result of choking then their nursing home care facility needs to be held responsible. Nursing home abuse and neglect is a serious violation of your loved one's rights to safety, respect, and dignity and the nursing home should be punished and prevented from allowing the same mistake to happen to another resident.

If your loved one has had a choking accident then call a nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer right away. The Law Office of Scott D. DeSalvo specializes in fighting for the rights of the elderly. We take nursing home abuse very seriously and want to make sure your loved one receives the justice they deserve. We also want to make sure that nursing homes are held accountable for their actions and never hurt another resident again. Call our office today to get your case started.