Elderly residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are often weak and fragile, leaving them susceptible to many types of infections, including infections that are resistant to treatment with the usual drugs. It’s relatively common knowledge that elderly individuals in these settings are more apt to contract an infection, so there’s no good excuse for ignoring an infection when one develops.

Unfortunately, many nursing homes and assisted living facilities do not treat patients’ infections in a timely manner. When a nursing home staff member ignores a patient’s infection, skips a patient’s medication, or otherwise fails to provide the basic standard of care, the facility should be held liable. 

Sometimes insufficient staffing is the problem. When nursing home staff members are continually hurried and overworked, they are not able to pay proper attention to their patients’ needs. Among other problems, this can result in:

  • Serious infections that require hospitalization
  • Devastating infections that may result in the need for surgery or even amputation
  • Potentially fatal outcomes

In a study by the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health, researchers found that infections lead to almost 400,000 nursing home deaths a year in this country. When conducting the study, the researchers looked at data from 96 percent of all U.S. nursing homes for the period spanning 2000–2007 and discovered that 15 percent of those facilities were cited for deficiencies in infection control each year. 

When a nursing home fails to provide adequate care or proper monitoring, an infection can spread rapidly through a patient’s body. If your loved one was seriously injured or died as the result of a South Florida nursing home infection, a neglectful nursing home staff might have been responsible. 

If you believe that your loved one’s injuries or death was caused by an infection that stemmed from nursing home neglect in Florida, you should talk with a caring and experienced Sarasota nursing home injury lawyer at Mallard Perez at (888) 409-3805. Our law firm will help you seek justice. Call today for a complimentary consultation.

Damian Mallard, Esq.
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Board Certified Sarasota Personal Injury Attorney