Florida Nursing Home Infections Raise Risks
Florida nursing home infections are a serious safety concern. The health and well-being of your loved one who is admitted to a nursing home in Sarasota County, Florida will largely depend upon, among other factors, how well that nursing home controls the spread of infection. Our area nursing homes in Sarasota, Venice and Englewood, like our area hospitals, admit and treat patients with a multitude of different infections. For an 120 bed nursing home facility, it is not unlikely that 20% or more of their residents will be suffering from some form of infection – one that is often highly contagious and life threatening.
We have all heard about the “superbug” staph infection known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or “MRSA” for short. For a resident recovering from a recent surgery, the failure of nursing home staff to follow proper infection control protocol will substantially increase the risk of cross-contaminating a surgical wound with MRSA and other pathogens during routine wound care. This can result in months of additional delay in healing the wound, surgical debridement of the wound and even possibly amputation or death.
Simple Failures Lead to Significant Harms – Nurses Must Wash Hands
It is shocking how common it is for nursing home staff to fail to wash their hands, wear gloves and follow other basic barrier precautions. Nursing homes also frequently fail to isolate residents who are known to carry highly infectious pathogens within their facilities.
In order to put the nursing home on notice of your concern about the spread of infection to your loved one, it may be prudent to ask whether they have any residents admitted who are suffering from MRSA, whether the nursing home has been cited by the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration for infection control concerns in the past few years, and whether close supervision of staff is maintained at all times to ensure that they are washing their hands, wearing gloves and observing other infection safety precautions. So — do not be afraid to raise these questions when speaking with staff. What is your infection rate? Do your nurses and aids always wash their hands? What other infection precautions will your staff follow to protect their residents?
If you believe that a loved one contracted an infection in a nursing home in Sarasota, Venice or Englewood, Florida and wish to discuss a claim of nursing home abuse or neglect with an experienced lawyer, please feel free to give me a call for a free, confidential consultation at (941) 485-7600. James Keim, Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer in Venice, Florida. I have handled many cases involving Florida nursing home infections and am available to discuss your potential case.
