Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Caused Infections
The elderly residents of nursing homes are often faced with living under the constant shadow of certain dangerous health issues that can strike at any moment. The older the human body gets, the easier it gets for parts of it to break, deteriorate, or suffer an injury in one form or another. As professional caregivers to this at-risk group, nursing homes another similar nursing home facilities have a duty to ensure that everything within their power is done to minimize the chances of these injuries happening to the elderly under their care.
Despite this, there are still cases that arise of nursing home residents who suffer severe injury because of neglect and abuse on the nursing home’s part. Of these injuries, among the more common to plague the elderly residents of nursing homes is infection. In general, infection as a result of a caregivers neglect is common from nursing homes to hospitals but with nursing homes, the group affected is especially vulnerable due to declining ability to fight said infections that comes with advanced age.
Common Infections That Occur In Nursing Homes
There are several kinds of infections that nursing home residents are more prone to developing when neglected and abused. These infections all have the ability to cause severe injury and in many instances have actually killed nursing home residents. Every year there are 1-3 million infections suffered by nursing home residents with up to 380,000 residents that die as a result.
Nursing Home MRSA Infections
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of skin infection caused by bacteria that enter a sore or cut located on the surface of the skin. This kind of infection can also be contracted via things like catheters, breathing tubes, and other invasive tools. What makes this kind of infection especially dangerous is that it is resistant to antibiotics. This is dangerous enough with young healthy people and doubly dangerous for the elderly that reside in nursing homes. MRSA infections can often prove to be very serious when they develop into a full-blown blood infection
Nursing Home Urinary Tract Infections
One of the most common infections that is reported by nursing homes is the urinary tract infection. It is a bacterial infection that can often be difficult to diagnose because of certain symptoms like painful urination not being displayed in elderly patients like with younger people. These infections can also be especially common in nursing homes because of the use of catheters that increase infection chance or a nursing home resident could also not be taking in enough fluids.
Nursing Home Pneumonia Infections
One of the single deadliest infections for elderly people is pneumonia. This infection primarily targets the lungs and is caused by either bacteria or viruses that manage to make it past the immune system to infect the lungs. In nursing homes, 33 out of 1000 residents will become infected with pneumonia. This can be because of poor immune system protection against airborne pathogens or in some cases, feeding tubes increase the risk of pneumonia infection. Like with many infections, the signs of pneumonia such as fever, chills, or a cough may not be seen in seniors like in younger cases so catching the infection is made all the more difficult.
Nursing Home Influenza Infections
Influenza is a fairly common occurrence in many people’s lives that comes and goes with varying degrees of inconvenience. However, for the over 65 residents of nursing homes, their weaker immune systems make a seemingly humble virus all the more potent. Influenza is made even more dangerous by how contagious it can be. An outbreak of influenza in a nursing home can spread dangerously fast when the proper measures are not taken. Simple steps like staff-wide inoculation and proper quarantine can greatly reduce the spread of this infection.
How do Infections Occur in Nursing Homes?
With infections being so dangerous for nursing home residents, one would assume that elder care facilities would recognize the danger and take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of those under their care. Many nursing homes do take the necessary precautions but there are also many that do not and endanger the livelihoods of those in their care.
Nursing homes can neglect their resident’s safety when it comes to preventing infections via a failure to observe proper sanitation, testing those who are the most at risk, and generally failing to provide an environment where proper procedure minimizes the spread of infectious pathogens. One of the things that can affect all of these factors is staffing. Nursing homes suffering from understaffing often will suffer cases of abuse or neglect. This is due to how understaffing decreases the attention given to each resident and frustrates staff.
Nursing Home Infection Lawsuits
When a nursing home resident suffers an infection at a nursing home due to the neglect or abuse then they may be able to seek compensation for the damages they suffered through a nursing home abuse/neglect claim. If it can be proven that those liable for the injury were neglectful in some way such as poor sanitation or hiring unqualified staff and that neglect directly caused a plaintiffs injury, then you may have a viable claim. By hiring an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer, you can help ensure that the damages you sustained as a result of negligence are compensated appropriately.
Seek an Experienced Florida Elder Abuse Attorney
If you or a loved one have suffered an injury due to the neglect of an assisted living facility, nursing home, or other similar facilities, then do not hesitate to contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA about a free consultation on your possible claim. Our skilled lawyers will sit down with you to lay out your options for legal action and how they can use their expertise to secure you the settlement that you deserve.
With the lawyers of Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA on your side, you can rest easy knowing that you have a law firm that can back up their claims with a long list of successful cases. Your case will be given the personal attention one would expect from a small firm but will benefit from the resources and reap the results of a large firm. The damages you suffered should not go uncompensated. Consider Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA as your representation in your pursuit to hold those responsible for your injuries accountable for their negligence.
For a free consultation on your claim you can contact us online or call (727) 451-6900
Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 451-6900
