Choking and aspiration injuries 

A resident on a pureed diet who is served regular food, or left alone to eat when supervision was ordered, is at risk of choking and aspiration pneumonia, and a nursing home choking lawyer who is a nurse reads the swallowing orders to prove the failure.

Swallowing problems are common after stroke, with dementia, and with Parkinson’s disease. A speech therapist evaluates the resident and writes orders: pureed or mechanical soft diet, thickened liquids, upright positioning, one-to-one supervision at meals. When the kitchen sends the wrong tray, an aide hands a cup of thin water to a resident on nectar-thick liquids, or a resident is left alone with a meal, the result is choking or food in the lungs. Aspiration pneumonia in a resident with dysphagia orders is a care failure, not bad luck.

What We Investigate

• The speech therapy evaluation and the diet order

• The dietary tray ticket on the day of the event

• The supervision order and who was present at the meal

• Staff training on the resident’s swallowing precautions

• The hospital record, including the chest imaging and the cause of pneumonia

What Families Can Do

• Ask what diet texture and liquid consistency is ordered

• Visit at mealtimes and watch what is served and who is watching

• Report any coughing, wet voice, or breathing change after meals the same day