By Dan Noll on February 9th, 2024 in Nursing Home Abuse
Illinois Lawyers Explain Diabetic Neglect in Springfield Nursing Home Abuse Cases
Diabetes is one of the most common conditions that many nursing home and long-term care residents require treatment and care for. Indeed, government statistics reveal that one out of every four nursing home residents has diabetes. However, some studies put this number even higher, estimating that up to 34% of all nursing home residents and long-term care residents have diabetes. Of these, type 2 diabetes is the most common type – accounting for upwards of 95% of all nursing home residents with diabetes. Residents who have diabetes like type 2 need special treatment and monitoring, which can often be achieved with routine healthcare. Unfortunately, some nursing homes, especially understaffed facilities, may fail to provide proper diabetes care. The experienced Illinois nursing home neglect lawyers at the Noll Law Office know this to be true, as diabetic neglect in Springfield nursing home abuse cases is common and continues to increase.
If you or a loved one suffered complications or injuries, or if a loved one was wrongfully killed as the result of diabetic neglect in an Illinois nursing home, call the Noll Law Office for help. Their compassionate and experienced team of nursing home abuse lawyers and well-trained legal staff know how to investigate, prove, and recover compensation for victims of nursing home abuse and neglect. They offer FREE case evaluations and consultations, allowing victims to learn about their legal rights before they ever have to sign up or pay for a lawyer. To schedule your free consultation, call (217) 414-8889.
What is Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic health condition affecting how your body turns food into energy through the sugar (glucose) that it releases into your bloodstream for your body to use with the help of insulin. Thus, diabetes is characterized as causing elevated blood sugar levels in individuals who have insulin issues.
There are two main types of diabetes that a nursing home resident could be diagnosed with or have when he or she enters a facility. The first is type 1, where the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells, and therefore leaving either a deficiency of insulin or resulting in your body not producing any insulin at all. The other is the much more common, type 2, which is associated with insulin resistance. This means that your body does not regular insulin properly, and either requires more insulin than normal to do the same job or simply more insulin to handle all of the excessive glucose in your bloodstream.
How Could Diabetes Be Damaging if Left Untreated?
If left unmanaged, diabetes can lead to serious complications, such as heart disease, kidney problems, and vision impairment. Unmanaged or mismanaged diabetes can also increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, conditions that many nursing home residents are already at a higher risk of suffering injuries or wrongful death. Other conditions may be caused by uncontrolled diabetes, which includes diabetic ulcers (usually on the lower legs) or diabetic neuropathy (damage to the nerves, usually in the hands or feet).
Management typically involves lifestyle changes, medication, and insulin therapy. Regular monitoring of blood sugar levels is essential for effective diabetes control and prevention of complications. With proper management and care, especially by reasonably trained staff at a nursing home, residents can avoid complications or injuries from diabetes. Unfortunately, diabetic neglect in Springfield nursing home cases continues to be an issue.
What is Diabetic Neglect?
One common form of nursing home abuse, neglect, or malpractice is diabetic neglect in Illinois. Diabetic neglect by a nursing home refers to the failure of nursing home staff to treat and manage individuals with diabetes in a manner that controls their condition. It involves neglecting essential diabetes care and management practices, such as monitoring blood sugar levels, administrating medications or insulin, coordinating a resident’s diet, or otherwise monitoring and treating the symptoms of diabetes. This includes symptoms such as dizzy spells, blackouts, seeing dots, nausea, and other signs that a resident’s blood sugar is too low or too high.
This neglect can result in uncontrolled blood sugar, leading to severe complications like cardiovascular issues, nerve damage, skin ulcers, and kidney dysfunction. Diabetic neglect often stems from a lack of awareness, motivation, or resources for proper diabetes management – which sounds like something that a resident who has diabetes might have trouble with, but it can also apply to nursing home staff.
Indeed, many nursing homes and long-term care facilities fail to properly educate and train their staff. Unfortunately, many nursing home healthcare providers may completely forget to check a resident’s diabetes. Other times they may assume that a resident knows how to properly manage his or her diabetes. Finally, some residents may not be aware that they have diabetes, there a nursing home must provide basic healthcare to identify the signs and symptoms of diabetes, diagnose it, and then start to manage or treat it.
Causes of Diabetic Neglect in Springfield Nursing Home Abuse Cases
There are many possible causes of diabetic neglect in Illinois that the experienced nursing home neglect lawyers at the Noll Law Office can handle for victims and their families. Some of the most common examples include the following:
- Understaffing
- Poorly trained staff
- Prescription errors
- Medication management errors
- Neglect
- Forgetting to monitor or check a resident
- Misreading test results
- Defective monitoring equipment
- Ignoring resident’s needs or complaints
- Improper nutrition and diets for residents with diabetes, including proper hydration
- Expecting a resident to manage his or her condition
- Lack of training or staff education
- Failing to recognize the signs and symptoms of a diabetic episode
- Failing to refer a resident to a specialist
- Abuse, and
- Other types of nursing home abuse, neglect, or malpractice that result in serious personal injuries to a resident due to diabetic neglect in Springfield.
Hurt in a Nursing Home or Long-Term Care Facility? The Noll Law Office Handles Diabetic Neglect in Springfield Nursing Home Abuse Cases
Diabetes is a very damaging condition that can result in serious personal injuries or the wrongful death of a resident. Residents who have diabetes which is not properly managed can suffer a whole host of very painful and debilitating conditions, many of which are irreversible such as peripheral neuropathy. If you or a loved one suffered personal injuries from diabetic neglect in a nursing home in Illinois, call the experienced nursing home neglect lawyers in Springfield at the Noll Law Office. They offer free consultations and only have their legal fees paid after you recover compensation. To learn more, contact them today.