When your loved one enters a nursing home or long-term care facility, you expect them to receive quality care. While illnesses and infections are fairly common among elderly residents of such facilities, a major increase in the number of certain kinds of infections in these facilities suggests that neglect is a culprit.
Unfortunately for elderly nursing home patients, infections are a major cause of hospitalization and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 to 3 million serious infections occur every year in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. As a result, as many as 380,000 people die of infections in long-term care facilities every year.
These types of infections often include:
- Urinary tract infections
- Diarrheal diseases
- Infections or sepsis from bedsores
- Antibiotic-resistant staph
- Pneumonia
Nursing homes must establish and maintain infection control programs that minimize and help prevent the spread of infection. When steps are not taken to reduce the risk of infections, it is often a sign of other problems in the facility. Improper monitoring and treatment by staff is often the cause for infection, in which case it constitutes negligence and abuse on the part of the facility. Additionally, any form of negligence and abuse in a nursing home-type setting can increase the likelihood that a resident suffers an infection, especially residents who are already immunocompromised.
There are signs to look for to determine if your loved one’s infection occurred due to negligence on the part of the facility’s staff:
- Do linens appear to be cleaned normally/regularly?
- Does the resident have untreated or poorly treated wounds or bedsores?
- Does your loved one wear the same clothing a few days at a time?
- Does the staff seem inattentive or understaffed?
- Are high traffic areas cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis (including the bathroom, kitchen and activity area)?
- Does your loved one complain of neglect or not being cared for in a timely manner?
- Is general hygiene care, especially skin care, regularly provided to residents?
The nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys of Hupy and Abraham see many cases involving infections. While it is challenging to establish that a severe injury or death was the result of a preventable infection, there are steps that facilities are required to take to reduce and eliminate the risk.
If your loved one has developed a life-threatening infection that resulted in injury or death due to the negligence of a nursing home or long-term care facility, contact Hupy and Abraham right away. Call 800-800-5678 for a free consultation, or start a live chat with us now at Hupy.com