Visiting your loved one in their nursing home and finding them in soiled clothes or appearing unwashed can be heartbreaking. After all, nursing home residents should receive around-the-clock care and attention. Stained clothes or dirty bed linen can be a sign that something is very wrong. Your loved one could be the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect.
Poor hygiene in a nursing home is far from trivial and can have potentially fatal consequences and result in:
- Increased risk for infections and diseases
- Dental problems
- Appearance or worsening of bedsores
- Risk of foodborne diseases
Nursing home residents, especially those with cognitive decline, rely on their family to look out for them and report any ill-treatment. If you spot the signs of poor hygiene either on your loved one or within the nursing home in general, you can and should take action.
Hire a Columbus soiled clothes or other signs of poor hygiene lawyer as soon as possible to assess your legal options. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm now and find out if you could hold the nursing home to account for neglecting your relative at (800) 842-6336.
Signs of Poor Hygiene and Neglect
Once you have spotted a sign of poor hygiene such as stained clothes, dirty bed linen, or unpleasant odors, you might wish to pay closer attention to the nursing home as a whole. When a nursing home neglects the personal hygiene of its residents, they may also neglect hygiene in other areas of the facility.
High volume areas could appear dirty, bathrooms might lack sanitizing, or food might be prepared in unsanitary conditions. All this can put your loved one and other nursing home residents at serious risk of injury and even death.
Warning signs for lack of hygiene can include:
- Residents appearing unkempt
- Odors around the home
- Spillages on floors
- Dirty bed linen
- Unchanged diapers
- Frequent infections and illnesses
The Consequences of Poor Hygiene
Nursing homes need to practice adequate hygiene at all times since the elderly can be particularly at risk from infections and other diseases. Poor personal hygiene can lead to urinary tract and skin infections, as well as other detrimental conditions.
Poor hygiene in the nursing home can have life-threatening consequences for residents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 to 3 million serious infections happen in U.S. nursing homes each year.
While younger adults may be able to fight off infections without problems, seniors tend to have underlying medical conditions that can make it hard for them to fight off illnesses. They could also have weaker immune systems in general. Infections can contribute to premature deaths in the elderly nursing home population. Following good hygiene protocols could potentially prevent a significant number of deadly infections.
Poor hygiene in the nursing home is unacceptable. If your loved one suffered injuries due to neglect in their nursing home, you might not know where to turn for help. Connect with a Columbus soiled clothes or other signs of poor hygiene lawyer who will lend you an open ear and can offer you practical help.
For a free legal consultation with a Soiled Clothes or Other Signs of Poor Hygiene Lawyer serving Columbus, call (800) 842-6336
You Could Hold the Nursing Home Liable
When the management of a nursing home is more focused on profits than providing a good standard of care, residents suffer unnecessarily. If your loved one suffered from the consequences of poor hygiene in their nursing home, such as a preventable infection or other detrimental conditions, you could potentially hold the nursing home to account for any injuries and expenses.
According to the 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act, nursing homes must care for residents in a way that promotes either maintenance or enhancement of their quality of life. Nursing homes could be in violation of federal and state laws for various reasons, including:
Understaffing
An understaffed nursing home presents significant dangers for residents. Seniors might lack help with basic tasks such as eating and personal hygiene. Overwhelmed staff might skip adequate hand hygiene, leaving residents at risk of illnesses and infections. If a nursing home has too few cleaning staff, the facility might lack general cleanliness. All of this can contribute to the spread of bacterial and viral infections throughout the home.
Lack of Training
Sufficiently qualified and trained staff can be hard to find. Nevertheless, a nursing home must ensure adequate training of employees. Untrained caregivers may fail to notice dangerous infections in time. Cleaners and kitchen helpers need to know about adequate hygiene protocols in order to keep residents safe from foodborne diseases and others. Untrained staff can put the health of all nursing home residents at risk.
Inadequate Policies and Procedures
If a nursing home lacks appropriate policies and procedures when it comes to the personal hygiene of residents or hygiene of the entire facility, they could be responsible for a victim’s damages. A skilled long-term care facility should adhere to current best practices as well as certain state and federal regulations.
Columbus Soiled Clothes or Other Signs of Poor Hygiene Lawyer Near Me (800) 842-6336
Connect with a Columbus Nursing Home Lawyer for Help
Poor hygiene in the nursing home is not only unacceptable. It is also illegal neglect and puts residents at unnecessary risk for diseases and premature death. If your relative suffered injury and expenses due to the negligence of a nursing home, you could have legal recourse and recover compensation, including but not limited to:
- Medical costs
- Transportation and moving expenses
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Physical suffering
- Emotional distress
Standing up against nursing homes and their legal teams can feel overwhelming. However, if someone else caused your loved one’s pain and suffering, you have the right to fight for justice and compensation. Your Columbus soiled clothes or other signs of poor hygiene lawyer can be by your side every step of the way and take care of all the legal issues and formalities.
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm know the laws and regulations that nursing homes have to observe. We can gather the necessary evidence to build a case against a negligent nursing home. You have no upfront attorney’s fees to pay if you work with our firm as we work on a contingency basis and only collect our fee if and when we win your case. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm now for a free case review at (800) 842-6336.
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