Many elderly residents who live in nursing homes and at home struggle with medical issues that make it difficult for them to swallow food and pills. In any Oklahoma nursing home, there are a number of residents who are potentially at risk of choking and must be carefully monitored.
Choking occurs whenever an object becomes stuck in the throat or windpipe, obstructing the flow of air. In serious choking incidents, the brain becomes deprived of oxygen resulting in brain damage and even death. It is absolutely vital for someone who is choking to receive immediate attention. Therefore, when someone dies from choking in an Oklahoma nursing home, it must be determined if it occurred as a result of staff’s negligence.
Nursing home staff should be diligent about following doctors’ orders for all patients. For example, if a doctor says that a patient should be fed only semi-solid food, the nursing home should take every precaution to ensure that he or she is not given solid foods that are hard to chew and swallow.
Caregivers must also look for signs of choking. In many cases, someone who is choking will clutch their hands to their throat to make others aware of the situation. Other indicators of choking include inability to talk, noisy breathing, blue skin, an inability to cough, and loss of consciousness.
If you believe that your loved one choked because of a lack of supervision or because he or she was given the wrong type of food, please contact an experienced Oklahoma nursing home neglect lawyer to determine if your loved one was the victim of negligence.
