
If your elderly loved one suffered from sepsis in a nursing home, you may have the right to file a claim for elder abuse or neglect. Sepsis can be due to negligent care. Nursing home or care facility employees should closely monitor any resident with infections to make sure their levels are stable.
Contact a Forest View sepsis lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to help you determine your legal rights if your loved one suffered from sepsis while living as a resident in a nursing home facility.
Understanding Sepsis
In normal circumstances, when a person has a viral, fungal or bacterial infection, the body fights these infections by releasing specific chemicals into the bloodstream. In most healthy adults, these chemicals fight the infection and the person goes back to being healthy. However, in those senior adults with compromised immune systems or underlying health conditions, any type of infection can cause an overreaction from the person’s body.
According to The Mayo Clinic, if the chemicals that release into the bloodstream are out of balance, sepsis can occur. Essentially, sepsis can cause the reduction of blood flow to organs and can cause blood clots to form. These conditions can lead to organ failure and gangrene. Merck Manual reports that sepsis and septic shock are closely related and that a person may go into septic shock and die at this stage of infection.
Symptoms of Sepsis
First, any patient that has had a recent infection or surgery should receive close monitoring to ensure that they do not develop sepsis. The Mayo Clinic reports that warning symptoms of sepsis can include:
- Systolic pressure equal to 100 mm of mercury.
- Rapid breathing.
- Unexplained changes in a person’s mental state.
If any of these symptoms exist in a nursing home patient, they should receive immediate medical attention. It is critical that nursing home staff employees understand that the development of sepsis requires quick medical intervention.
For a free legal consultation with a Sepsis Lawyer serving Forest View, call (800) 794-0444
Treatments for Sepsis
If your elderly loved one develops sepsis in a nursing home, the staff should immediately contact the attending physician for medical treatment. Medical treatment must be immediate and aggressive in order to prevent any further damage.
Oftentimes, hospitalization is necessary and doctors typically prescribe powerful antibiotics. In some more severe cases, surgery removes any infected organs to prevent the spread of sepsis. Any delay in treatment could prove fatal for your loved one. If a nursing home failed to treat your loved one properly, call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to help you understand your legal rights.
Forest View Sepsis Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Sepsis and Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Many elderly patients suffer from infections or need invasive medical procedures, which, in turn, may develop into sepsis. While sepsis is a common condition in the elderly, according to The Mayo Clinic, when the condition receives proper medical treatment in a timely manner, there is a chance your elderly loved one will survive. However, advanced treatment and close monitoring is usually necessary in order to prevent death.
Nursing home employees are oftentimes required to monitor catheters and IV lines, reposition residents to prevent bedsores (pressure ulcers), and treat any wounds quickly before they become severely infected. Elderly residents of nursing homes suffer neglect when:
- Bedsores are not treated immediately.
- Cuts are not attended to and bandaged quickly.
- Clothes and linens are not washed regularly.
- Staff fails to bathe and clean nursing home residents regularly.
- The nursing home facility lacks overall cleanliness, leading to increased bacteria and germs.
- Nursing home staff remains overworked and understaffed, leading to neglect or abuse of the residents.
- Nursing home staff downplays medical complaints from residents or waits too long to contact a medical professional for a serious condition.
If you suspect that your elderly loved one remained untreated for any period of time, continues to have recurring infections or incidents of sepsis, and/or the sepsis occurs due to an unexplainable injury or infection or due to an untreated bedsore, you may have a case for nursing home neglect or abuse.
First, you should contact the management of the nursing home, then the “local adult protective services, long-term care ombudsman,” and possibly the police in order to ensure the immediate safety of your elderly loved one (according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services). Then, contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to review your options and see if you have a case of elder abuse or neglect.
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A Forest View Sepsis Lawyer Can Help You Pursue Compensation
Sepsis is a serious and life-threatening condition that must receive treatment immediately in order to prevent the possible death of nursing home residents. You may have the right to pursue a legal claim for elder neglect or abuse if you suspect that your elderly loved one developed sepsis in a nursing home due to:
- The facility’s carelessness or negligence regarding the hygiene of the building.
- The lack of attention to the medical condition of your loved one.
Compensation for nursing home abuse or neglect due to sepsis can assist you in paying for your elderly loved one’s unexpected medical treatments, physical therapy, pain and suffering, and personal care services.
Contact a Forest View sepsis lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to help you determine how to build a nursing home neglect case on behalf of your loved one. Let us handle all the little things that come up while pursuing compensation. A lawyer is prepared to:
- Gather and analyze evidence.
- Handle all communication with insurance companies.
- Answer any questions you may have.
- Keep you updated at every stage of your case.
- Represent you in court, if necessary.
Do not hesitate to reach out. There may be timelines that restrict how long you have to take action.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form