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Anyone can get an infection when bacteria multiply in a break in the skin’s surface; however, the elderly are at particular risk of infections, including soft-tissue infections. A Phoenix nursing home abuse lawyer can provide guidance if a loved one suffers preventable infections due to inadequate care. Soft-tissue infections affect the skin, muscles, and connective tissue such as tendons and ligaments. Elderly individuals may have weakened immune systems and compromised skin integrity, leaving them more prone to serious infections. Skin and other soft-tissue infections are especially common in nursing homes due to the shared living environment.
Skin infections in nursing homes place elderly residents at a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. About two million infections occur in nursing home residents each year. Common bacterial soft-tissue infections in nursing homes include:
These infections are commonly generated in nursing home residents and develop from pressure ulcers (bedsores), dry cracked skin from eczema, dehydration, fungal infections, and shingles. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in ten nursing home residents suffer from bedsores—one of the most common sources of soft-tissue infection in nursing homes.
Seniors living in nursing homes face a higher risk of soft tissue infections due to the more proliferate presence of risk factors such as the following:
Chronic understaffing, high staff turnover rates, and inexperienced or negligent caregivers in nursing homes increase the likelihood of resident infections. Negligent care leads to poor hygiene care, resident dehydration, malnutrition, immobility, and uncleanliness in shared living spaces.
The bacteria in soft tissue infections may spread below the surface of the skin and cause serious illness, especially in the elderly with less robust immune systems. One common complication from soft-tissue infections in nursing homes is meningitis, which occurs when bacteria from an infection invade the spinal cord and brain, causing fever, stiff neck, severe headache, nausea, and vomiting. Bacterial Meningitis is a life-threatening condition in the elderly, with a 20% mortality rate.
Soft tissue infections may also lead to deadly sepsis, a condition in which the body’s reaction to an infection triggers massive inflammation and organ failure.
Nursing home caregivers have a duty to prevent the spread of infections and promptly identify and treat the early signs of soft-tissue infections to prevent deadly complications. Many infections result from nursing home neglect, such as the development of bedsores from the failure to relieve pressure points through positional changes.
When a nursing home administration and staff breach their duty of care to an elderly resident, and the breach of duty causes worsened medical conditions or death, the elderly individual or their grieving family members have a right to compensation for their damages. Call the Phoenix elder abuse attorneys at Knapp & Roberts so we can seek compensation and justice in your case.
The personal injury attorneys in Phoenix, Arizona, at Knapp & Roberts have the compassion and trial lawyer skills to tell your story to a jury. We will get to know you and your family so that we can help the jury understand what has happened to you and your family and how it has changed your lives. Obtain the compensation necessary for the injuries and losses you have suffered.
