Elderly adults usually have weakened immune systems, which means they are more likely to get sick. This makes good hygiene incredibly important to an elderly adult’s health. Unfortunately, many nursing home residents become ill as a result of poor hygiene. If this happens to your loved one, it’s important to understand your legal options. Here’s how to recover compensation for poor hygiene in nursing homes:
How Poor Hygiene Can Affect Nursing Home Residents
Sanitation issues within the facility can affect the wellbeing of the nursing home residents. Facilities need to be properly cleaned in order to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. If the facility is unsanitary, the residents could easily contract preventable infections or viral illnesses.
Nursing home residents can also become ill as a result of poor food hygiene. If the kitchen staff is not properly trained or the food preparation surfaces are not clean, nursing home residents could be exposed to harmful bacteria when they eat.
Most nursing home residents rely on employees at the facility to help them take care of themselves. Sadly, many residents do not get the help they need. As a result, they suffer from poor hygiene through no fault of their own. Not being able to bathe, brush their teeth, or change into clean clothes could seriously impact their health.
How to Recover Compensation For Poor Hygiene
The key to recovering compensation for poor hygiene is proving that the nursing home facility is liable for your loved one’s injuries. For example, let’s say your loved one became very ill because of food poisoning. To hold the nursing home facility liable for this illness, you will need to link the food poisoning to unsanitary conditions in the facility’s kitchen. This can be done by interviewing the kitchen staff, reviewing the facility’s written procedures, and watching surveillance footage.
Your loved one can recover compensation if it can be proven that she was harmed as a result of the facility’s unsanitary conditions or the employees’ neglect. However, gathering the evidence that is needed to prove liability can be challenging, which is why it’s best to let an attorney handle the investigation.
Has your loved one suffered as a result of poor hygiene in a nursing home? Let the personal injury attorneys at Reisch Law Firm help. Focus on caring for your loved one while we fight for the maximum compensation available. Schedule a free consultation today by calling 303-291-0555 or filling out this online form.
