Unsanitary conditions within a nursing home can place your loved one at risk for infections or diseases, some of which could be serious or even life-threatening. A nursing home is similar to a medical care facility in the sense that they have a duty and responsibility to ensure that their residents receive proper care and hygiene. Along with receiving medications, food, water, and supervision, residents of nursing homes and their families expect that they will also receive an environment that is consistently clean and hygienic.
If your family member experienced an infection or medical condition as a result of unsanitary conditions in a nursing home, a Jacksonville soiled clothes or other signs of poor hygiene lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can help you build a solid case. Call (800) 842-6336 today for a free consultation.
Types of Unsanitary Conditions in Nursing Homes
Every resident of a nursing home has a fundamental right to clean clothes, bedding, and a hygienic environment. Some of the types of unsanitary conditions that may occur in nursing homes include:
- Poorly cleaned or maintained sinks, toilets, floors, and showers
- Poorly cleaned or maintained areas where food preparation occurs
- Poorly sanitized tables, chairs, couches, and other objects in common areas
- Lack of proper care regarding a nursing home resident’s changing of diapers, clothes, or bedding
- Lack of proper cleaning of wounds or bandages that can seep onto clothing or bedding
- Failure to maintain a proper level of hygiene throughout the nursing home as well as in the private areas of nursing home residents
The lack of proper care for a resident in a nursing home can be a sign of nursing home neglect or abuse. Consider visiting with the management of the nursing home if you see any of these types of unsanitary conditions or if your loved ones continually have soiled clothes or other signs of poor hygiene. If you do not receive any kind of appropriate response from the management of the nursing home, speak with our legal team, and a Jacksonville soiled clothes or other signs of poor hygiene lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can work with you to build a nursing home neglect or abuse case on behalf of your family member.
How Nursing Homes Develop Unsanitary and Unhygienic Facilities
There are many reasons why a nursing home would have unsanitary or unhygienic conditions. Unfortunately, many nursing homes place profits above people, and the result is a lack of attention and care for the residents of the nursing home. Some of the reasons that a nursing home will have unsanitary and unhygienic practices include the following:
- Understaffed and overworked employees. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the turnover rates of nursing homes reached nearly 100% for the past several decades. As a result, many nursing homes have had to run a facility with understaffed and overworked employees. With such limited resources, many elderly residents of nursing homes may fail to have their clothes changed. In other cases, the facility may simply not have the staff to ensure that the facility as well as the residents experience the best possible hygiene to prevent illnesses and diseases.
- Poorly trained employees. Many of the employees hired by nursing homes do not have an education in health or medicine. They may not receive from the nursing home training regarding proper techniques to ensure the facility and residents have a hygienic environment or that they receive proper care, such as changing soiled clothes.
- Failure to establish proper procedures. Every nursing home should have procedures regarding the care and hygiene of every single resident in their facility. Additionally, every elderly resident should have a specific plan of care tailored to their needs that includes proper hygiene.
The failure of a nursing home to properly staff, train, and create proper procedures can easily create situations in which elder abuse and neglect can occur.
For a free legal consultation with a Soiled Clothes or Other Signs of Poor Hygiene Lawyer serving Jacksonville, call (800) 794-0444
Consequences of Poor Hygiene in Nursing Home Facilities
According to the research published in Aging Health, a Health and Human Services Access publication, over 1.5 million elderly residents live in approximately 16,000 nursing homes throughout the United States. Of those 1.5 million residents, two million infections occur yearly, meaning that many residents suffer more than one infection yearly. Nursing homes could prevent many of these infections simply by creating environments that reduce the risk of diseases and infections. The consequences of poor hygiene in nursing homes included the following:
- Infections including COVID-19, bacterial and viral infections, urinary tract infections, influenza, gastrointestinal infections, staph infections, MRSA infections, and more
- Bedsores (also known as pressure sores) from the failure to remove soiled clothing, provide proper hygiene, and consistently reposition elderly residents that remain bedridden
- Lice, athlete’s foot, fungi, scabies, ringworm, and other diseases may occur when residents do not have proper hygiene or clean bedding and/or clothes
- Psychological trauma from feeling helpless to change out of soiled clothing, or the inability to provide proper hygiene for themselves, resulting in depression, anxiety, and the reduction in the overall quality of life
Poor hygiene and unsanitary conditions can lead to an overall reduction in the joy and quality of life of anyone, especially residents in nursing homes that must rely on others for these basic needs.
Jacksonville Soiled Clothes or Other Signs of Poor Hygiene Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm Can Help Your Elderly Loved One Receive Justice
There are basic human rights that every person deserves, no matter their age or medical condition. Elderly residents of nursing homes deserve the respect and dignity that a clean environment provides. Nursing homes have a responsibility to ensure that all residents have a hygienic and sanitary environment that reduces the risk of contracting or developing infections or diseases.
If your family member experienced the humiliating experience of soiled clothing or endured an environment of poor hygiene as a resident in a nursing home, learn how a Jacksonville soiled clothes or other signs of poor hygiene lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can work with you to help your loved one receive justice.
Call (800) 842-6336 today for your free case review.
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