Dehydration

Estate Settles Nursing Home Neglect Claim Over Dehydration
Plaintiffs Claimed Facility Failed To Address Fluid Intake, Urinary Infection
$300,000 Mediated Settlement

Principal injuries (in order of severity): Dehydration, malnutrition and UTI causing death.

County where tried or settled: York

Case Name and Number: Barley et al. v. White Oak Manor – York, Inc. et al., York County Court of Common Pleas Case No. 2004-CP-46-987 & -988.

Date Concluded: July 13, 2005

Name of Judge: Hon. John C. Hayes, III

Amount: $300,000.

Attorneys for plaintiff: Anthony L. Harbin and John P. Griffith of Anderson

Other Useful Info: The decedent was admitted to the defendants’ nursing home in June 2000 with multiple health problems and chronic conditions. The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants were aware of his high risk for dehydration. The decedent also lost a significant amount of weight during his stay in the nursing home, according to the plaintiffs’ case report. In June 2001, decedent began to experience greater weight loss and poor oral intake. This increased his risk factor for dehydration, but the defendants failed to care plan and implement interventions to monitor him more closely to prevent dehydration from occurring, according to the plaintiffs. Defendants failed to ensure that decedent was receiving at least the minimum amount of fluid intake to prevent dehydration and failed to treat his UTI causing his death, the plaintiffs alleged. The decedent was ultimately admitted to the hospital for dehydration and a urinary tract infection and he died two days later. The hospital records stated that decedent was “clinically dry.” The decedent was survived by his wife, one minor child and one adult child.

The defendants settled without admitting any liability, according to the settlement order.