It’s always important for healthcare facilities to maintain sterile and sanitary environments for their patients at all times. It’s especially vital for places that specifically care for elderly people to be as clean as possible at all times. On top of the various physical and mental problems nursing home residents may already be dealing with, they often also have weaker immune systems than the average person. Even something as simple as the common cold could lead to life-threatening complications.
While there’s no way for even the most diligent nursing home administrators to completely eliminate the risk of infections spreading through their property, facilities are still expected to keep that risk as small as possible. If your loved one suffered serious harm because of an infection in a Blue Bell nursing home, you should contact a skilled nursing home neglect lawyer sooner rather than later to discuss the possibility of a civil lawsuit.
What Are Nursing Homes Supposed to Do to Prevent Infections?
Obviously, cleanliness is important in places like nursing homes and assisted living facilities, but proactively preventing serious infections and illnesses requires a lot more than just an occasional mop job and Lysol spray. In addition to consistently sanitizing all surfaces in both common and private spaces, nursing home staff members must also make sure to regularly wash bedsheets and clothes, not reuse medical equipment like needles or rubber gloves, and quarantine residents with communicable diseases as soon as they are diagnosed in order to minimize further spread of that illness.
Especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyday sanitation practices like handwashing, social distancing, and mask-wearing can also be vital in certain situations. Regardless of what form it takes, any notable failure by a nursing home to establish and follow rigorous sanitation rules may hold civil liability for any infection a resident in Blue Bell experiences as a direct result of that misconduct.
Holding the Right People Liable for Damages
While many nursing home abuse lawsuits are built around the neglectful or abusive conduct of a single staff member, infections in nursing homes in Blue Bell often stem from widespread negligence by staff members, administrators, and facility owners. This is one reason why assistance from legal counsel can be so crucial to getting a good result from this specific type of nursing home litigation.
On that note, a successful lawsuit or settlement proposal against a nursing home over a serious infection can incorporate both short-term and long-term damages caused by the infection in question, including things like:
- Physical pain and discomfort
- Psychological trauma
- Loss of life’s pleasures
- Medical bills
- Personal property loss or damage
If an infection directly results in a resident’s premature death, our attorneys can help surviving family members seek compensation for their own losses stemming from this tragedy through a wrongful death claim.
A Blue Bell Attorney Can Help Sue Over a Nursing Home Infection
From bedsores to bedbugs, the seasonal flu to coronavirus—no matter what form it takes, any kind of infection inside a nursing home can have serious repercussions. Unfortunately, some infections in Blue Bell nursing homes are not just matters of bad luck but instead stem directly from that facility’s failure to maintain a safe environment for their residents and patients.
If someone you love has been hurt due to this kind of negligence, you have help available to take legal action on their behalf from a winning lawyer. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to learn more during a free, no-obligation consultation.
