Nursing Home Neglect and Infections in San Diego County

Nursing home neglect can take many different forms in San Diego County. In some cases, a senior in a nursing home or assisted living facility might be harmed as a result of willful deprivation, where a staff member refuses to provide the senior with the medications, medical devices, or care they need. Under most circumstances, however, nursing home neglect is not intentional. Rather, injuries arising out of neglect in Southern California result from issues like understaffing, lack of appropriate training for staff members, and ultimately, a failure for an elderly nursing home resident to receive the care they need without any intention by the facility to cause harm. Yet just because a nursing home or assisted living facility in San Diego County does not intend to cause injuries or any other type of harm does not mean that the facility cannot be held accountable.

Infections are one type of harm for which nursing homes and assisted living facilities in San Diego County can be liable if any infection results from negligence. Our San Diego County nursing home negligence attorneys can provide you with more information.

Nursing Homes Have a Duty to Prevent Infections

For many types of infections that can occur at nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Southern California, it is important to know that those facilities have a duty to create infection control procedures and to take steps to prevent various kinds of infections. Certainly, a nursing home cannot be required to prevent any and all types of infections that could occur at the facility, such as common colds or other common illnesses that may be spread by having visitors at the facility or workers performing necessary services. Yet nursing homes and assisted living facilities do have a duty to prevent some kinds of infections, such as:

Infections caused by bed sores;
Infections caused by lack of staff hygiene;
Infections worsening as a result of lack of care; and
Certain infectious diseases.

Common Types of Infections in Nursing Homes That May Indicate Negligence

What types of infections might suggest that a nursing home is liable? A resident coming down with the common cold is not a reason to consider nursing home liability, but there are many kinds of infections that can be indicators of nursing home negligence. Some common examples include:

Bed sores, especially bed sores that are worse than Stage 1 bed sores;
Infections in open wounds that are untreated or improperly treated;
Post-operation infections;
Infections that worsen because they are not identified and appropriately treated in a prompt manner;
Infections caused by staff members failing to engage in proper hygiene, such as infections caused by a staff member’s contaminated hands;
Infections caused by exposure to bloodborne pathogens; and
Infections resulting from the nursing home’s failure to identify a contagious disease and to appropriately quarantine a patient, such as COVID-19.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there are one to three million “serious infections” that occur every year in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and most could be avoided with reasonable care and safety protocols.

Contact a San Diego County Nursing Home Negligence Attorney

If you have questions about filing a nursing home neglect claim following an infection, you should get in touch with one of the experienced San Diego County nursing home negligence lawyers at our firm. Contact the Walton Law Firm to learn more about how we can assist you.

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