Undiagnosed and Untreated Infections Leading to Death in Nursing Homes in Riverside County

Nursing homes in Riverside County have a duty to residents - to ensure that residents are properly diagnosed and treated in a timely manner when signs of infection such as bed sores arise, and to have infection-control measures in place to prevent the spread of certain types of infections among vulnerable populations, especially respiratory viruses such as RSV and COVID-19, and antibiotic-resistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (better known as “MRSA”), all of which can be life-threatening to older adults.

If a facility was negligent and your elderly loved one died because they were not diagnosed or treated for an infection in an appropriate amount of time, a Riverside County nursing home negligence attorney at our firm can help you to file a claim.

Riverside County nursing homes and assisted-living facilities can be liable for a resident death that results from an undiagnosed or untreated infection. All of the following are examples of causes for an undiagnosed or untreated infection for which a facility can be held legally accountable:

• Understaffing, which resulted in a resident not receiving timely care or assistance;
• Staff burnout, which resulted in a staff member’s negligence in failing to identify early signs of bed sores or other infections;
• Medical error that resulted in an infection going undiagnosed or untreated; and/or
• Negligent or lacking infection-prevention protocols at a nursing home.

Many residents of nursing homes have health issues and risk factors that make them more likely to contract certain types of infections than younger adults and those who are not residing in nursing homes or assisted-living facilities.

For example, mobility issues can make bed sores and certain serious skin infections more likely; those with urinary catheters can be more likely to develop serious urinary tract infections (UTIs), and medications and other factors can play a role in a resident having a weakened immune system and thus having trouble fighting off infections, especially when viruses and other types of infections spread in a facility.

When UTIs, bed sores, MRSA infections, and other types of common infections among elderly adults are not properly diagnosed and treated, they can be fatal. According to the Mayo Clinic, sepsis and septic shock can be particularly dangerous conditions for older adults and can often lead to death.

Older adults in Riverside County nursing homes and assisted-living facilities should always have a sufficient degree of care such that infections are properly diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. Too often, however, understaffing and other facility issues result in residents not receiving attention when they show early signs of infection, or mistakes lead to missed diagnoses or serious infections going undiagnosed. When a resident dies as a result of an undiagnosed or untreated infection in a California nursing home, the facility is typically liable.

It is important to seek advice from an experienced Riverside County nursing home negligence attorney about filing a claim and holding the nursing home liable for your elderly loved one’s preventable death. Contact California Nursing Home Law Group for help today.