Diseases And Illnesses Can Spread In Careless Nursing Homes

On the East Coast this month, dozens of families were shocked to discover that their elderly loved ones had been exposed to Hepatitis B as nursing home staff members reused dirty needles to check the blood sugar levels of diabetic patients. Now five nursing home patients are dead from the disease and three more have contracted the virus. Clearly, the nursing home was negligent in their patient care and could soon be at the center of a nursing home negligence lawsuit or wrongful death lawsuit.

Sadly, this is not the first time a serious and fatal disease has spread through a nursing home or adult care facility because of the negligence of the home or its staff. In past cases, patients have become ill and died from Hepatitis C, HIV, AIDS, fungal infections, viruses, bacterial infections, and other diseases passed from patient to patient or employee to patient.

How are these diseases passed on through the nursing home? In some cases, like the recent case above, patients become infected when nurses or other staff members re-use equipment such as needles, catheters, saline bags, or other medical devices or materials. In other cases, diseases may be passed to patients through inappropriate contact, such as sexual abuse or sexual assault. In still other cases, disease may spread if adult care nurses do not take proper precautions when it comes to wearing gloves, wearing surgical masks, or washing their hands in between patients.

If your loved one has been injured or has died because of a disease contracted at a nursing home, speak with a nursing home neglect attorney today.