One of the primary reasons families make the difficult decision to place their loved one in a nursing home is to ensure that they will receive the proper supervision and treatment they need on a daily basis.
In many cases, families are unable to give their loved one the attention they need throughout the day. Placing an elderly loved one in a nursing home should ensure that they receive 24-hour care in a comforting and clean environment. This is especially important as elderly residents of nursing homes have a diminished ability to ward off infections easily due to medical conditions and weakened immune systems.
Nursing homes have a legal duty and a responsibility under federal and state law to ensure the physical and emotional care at their residence. There is absolutely no reason why an infection should remain untreated within a nursing home environment.
If your elderly loved one suffered a serious injury or even death due to the nursing home’s failure to prevent or treat an infection, consider how a Tulsa untreated infections lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law may help you receive compensation for your loved one’s injuries. Contact a member of our team today.
The Development of Infections in Nursing Homes
Elderly residents are more prone to develop infections due to their decrease in physical strength and lessened ability to fight infections. Published research in the Aging Health Journal illustrates that over 1.5 million elderly seniors reside in over 16,000 nursing homes in the United States. With nearly 90% of those residents over the age of 65, the demographic is more immune-compromised and less healthy than the general population overall.
Therefore, nursing homes have a population of residents that are not only more susceptible to developing infections, but also show less resilience towards fighting these infections. Nursing home facilities specifically are a prime environment for the development and spread of infectious diseases. Nursing home residents share close quarters along with food, health care services, water, and the same air. A vulnerable population existing in this nursing home environment ultimately results in the development and spread of infections.
Nursing home staff is charged with ensuring the cleanliness and safety of all residents with respect to the development of infections. If a nursing home fails to properly clean their environment or properly provide for the hygiene of its residents, serious infections can develop and spread, leading to severe injuries or even death.
If your loved one suffered injuries or died as a result of developing an infection in a nursing home that remained untreated, consider how a Tulsa untreated infections lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm may help you pursue justice on behalf of your elderly loved one.
Respiratory Infections
The Clinical Infectious Diseases Journal also indicates that respiratory infections resulting in pneumonia are one of the leading causes of fatalities in elderly residents of nursing homes.
Respiratory infections are the number one reason residents need transportation to a hospital. However, when an elderly resident develops a respiratory infection that remains untreated, not only do they suffer injuries and a worsening condition, they also spread this infection to other residents of the nursing home.
Gastrointestinal Infections
Gastrointestinal infections can also be both bacterial or viral, causing severe pain and distress. If left untreated, these gastrointestinal infections can cause catastrophic damage or even death. When left untreated in one resident, gastrointestinal infections can easily spread throughout a nursing home community.
While gastrointestinal infections may prove uncomfortable for younger, healthier adults, these types of infections can easily result in serious medical complications or fatalities of residents in nursing homes.
Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common infections found throughout all populations and communities. However, elderly residents of nursing homes are at greater risk of developing these types of infections due to the more common use of catheters.
Nursing home residents who must have catheters should receive continual supervision and monitoring to ensure that these types of infections do not develop. If a UTI does develop, it must receive immediate treatment. Otherwise, it can become a severe, life-threatening kidney infection or even turned into a septic infection.
Skin and Soft Tissue Infections
As people age, their skin becomes thinner, making it more vulnerable to different types of skin and soft tissue infections. The outer epidermal layer does not have as much resiliency or thickness. Therefore, infections develop easier and, unfortunately, tend to heal much slower in elderly residents of nursing homes. If skin or soft tissue infection remains untreated, it can develop into a serious or even life-threatening condition.
Untreated Infections
Any infection in a nursing home resident should receive immediate treatment, not only for the health and safety of that particular resident, but for the community as a whole.
Infections tend to spread quickly with nursing home facilities due to the close quarters and vulnerability of residents. If a nursing home fails to treat an infection appropriately or within a reasonable amount of time, serious injuries or death could occur. If this is the case, nursing homes may ultimately be liable for the resulting medical complications, injuries, or even death of one of their residents from their negligence.
For a free legal consultation with a Tulsa Untreated Infections Lawyer serving Tulsa, call (800) 794-0444
How a Tulsa Untreated Infections Lawyer Can Help You
If your elderly loved one suffered injuries or even death in a nursing home due to the negligence of the nursing home staff to treat an infection, consider how a Tulsa untreated infections lawyer can help you possibly obtain justice and compensation on behalf of your elderly loved one. Contact our team for free at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to help you understand your legal rights.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
