California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
There is no situation in which an older adult in a Sonoma County nursing home should die because of a preventable sepsis infection. Yet sepsis deaths are rising in nursing homes across the country, and it is crucial for family members to understand that these deaths are avoidable. According to a report from California Healthline, investigations over the last several years have revealed that sepsis deaths occur at a much higher rate than people used to suspect. Nursing home residents are already at a higher risk of developing infections than the general population given their advanced age, reduced immune capacities, and safety issues in facilities. Much too often, somewhat minor infections are not properly diagnosed or treated, and as a result, sepsis develops and becomes fatal.
If you have an elderly loved one in a Bay Area nursing home, what do you need to know about the serious risks of infections, and in particular, about sepsis? Our Sonoma County nursing home neglect lawyer can provide you with the information you need.
What is Sepsis and How Does It Occur in Nursing Homes?
What is sepsis? According to the Cleveland Clinic, it is a “life-threatening reaction to an infection that causes your immune system to harm healthy tissues and organs.” Sepsis occurs when a person already has an infection and the immune system attempts to fight the infection, but it essentially overreacts and begins fighting healthy tissues and organs in the body. Sepsis occurs in different stages:
- Sepsis (previously two categories of sepsis and severe sepsis); and
- Septic shock, which can result in a person’s death in 12 hours.
Sepsis most often results from bacterial infections, though it can also result from fungal, parasitic, or viral infections. Sepsis occurs most commonly when a person has any of the following types of infections:
- Urinary tract infection;
- Pneumonia;
- Appendicitis;
- Peritonitis;
- Gallbladder infection;
- Liver infection;
- Brain infection;
- Spinal cord infection;
- Cellulitis; and/or
- Bed sores.
Preventing Sepsis Deaths in California Nursing Homes
Nursing homes have a duty to ensure that residents receive appropriate medical care that is tailored to their specific needs. A person is at greatest risk for sepsis and septic shock when they are 65 or older, have catheters or IVs or feed tubes, have certain types of chronic diseases that are common among older adults such as diabetes or kidney disease or cancer, and when they are already dealing with a weakened immune system. Often, family members who are visiting can help to get a resident the help they need by identifying common signs of sepsis.
The Sepsis Alliance identifies the following common signs of sepsis in older adults:
- Change in temperature (fever or a drop in temperature to below normal);
- Rapid heart rate;
- Rapid breathing;
- Shaking; and
- Confusion.
Contact a Sonoma County Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney for Assistance with a Sepsis Case in the San Francisco Bay Area
Older adults in nursing homes are dying as a result of avoidable sepsis infections. Nursing homes must have proper infection-control measures in place, and they also have a duty to attend to patients so that signs and symptoms of infections do not go unnoticed and untreated. If you recently lost an elderly loved one to a sepsis infection, the nursing home may be liable. By filing a claim with assistance from one of our Sonoma County nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers, you can hold the facility accountable and help to alert others to dangerous conditions that can result in infections going undiagnosed or untreated. Contact the California Nursing Home Law Group today to learn more about filing a civil lawsuit against a San Francisco Bay Area nursing home after a sepsis death.
See Related Blog Posts:
Nursing Home Neglect in San Diego Causes More Deaths Than Any Other Type of Abuse
CDC Report on Older Adult Fall Rates By State
