A list of serious illnesses plagues senior citizens living in nursing homes. A number of reasons underscored by maltreatment and negligence in California nursing homes have led to an overall decrease in elder health. Sepsis is among those illnesses and oftentimes goes unaddressed, leading to serious consequences. If a family member of yours is struggling with a condition as a result of negligence, please reach out to California elder home abuse attorney Joel Bryant as soon as possible.
Sepsis in Context
Sepsis is a condition in which one’s own immune system overcompensates for an infection occurring in another part of the body, often in areas such as the gastrointestinal tract or lungs. This eventually leads to organ failure, tissue damage, and even death. More progressed forms of sepsis are referred to as “severe sepsis.”
Sepsis is an extremely concerning condition in regards to elderly nursing home residents for a variety of reasons:
- Adults over the age of 65 are 13 times as likely to be admitted to the hospital than other adults younger than 65.
- 1 in every 3 people who pass away in a hospital does so having developed sepsis.
- Those having contracted sepsis are almost two times as likely to be readmitted to the hospital than those who have not.
- Sepsis is developed outside of the hospital in 87% of cases.
- Nursing home residents are six times as likely to present to the hospital with sepsis than elderly folk living outside of nursing homes.
Identifying Sepsis in the Elderly
Sepsis must be diagnosed and addressed as quickly as possible as it has a high potential to incapacitate or even kill people who are suffering from it. It is always recommended that those with loved ones in nursing homes know the warning signs of sepsis just in case.
- Shaking or stuttering
- Increased breathing frequency
- High or increasing heart rate
- A high-degree fever and sweating
- Hypothermia, including shivering or feeling abnormally cold
- Low blood pressure
- Disorientation
The Conditions That Most Often Lead to Sepsis in Senior Citizens
As previously mentioned, the most common triggers of sepsis are infections that occur in the body. The gravity of such a condition that occurs so commonly in senior citizens has caught the attention of nursing home abuse attorneys across the country. According to the most recently available research, the condition that most often leads to sepsis in elderly folk is respiratory or genitourinary infections. Whether it be pneumonia or a urinary tract infection, the chance that a senior citizen contracts sepsis becomes much more likely after contracting one of these types of conditions.
Protecting Your Loved Ones from Negligence
Unfortunately, California elder abuse attorneys have been seeing more and more cases of sepsis on a regular basis. Nursing homes are hot spots for sepsis and can result in disastrous consequences for families. To reach out to a lawyer, please contact Joel Bryant at your earliest convenience by calling (619) 597-2577 or reaching out via our online contact form for a free consultation.