Deadly, Drug-Resistant Fungus Spreading in Nursing Homes

Lax infection prevention efforts and even blatant refusal to reveal the positive status of patients when transferring them between healthcare facilities are among the instances of nursing home malpractice related to the spread of a fatal fungal infection in nursing homes.

According to the Washington Post, a highly drug-resistant fungus the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is spreading at “an alarming rate” is placing vulnerable elderly residents at risk in nursing homes that cannot, or do not, implement necessary infection prevention measures.

Known as Candida auris (C. auris) the fungus is a strain of yeast that can enter the bloodstream and cause invasive infections that can impact a person’s brain, eyes, heart, kidneys, and ears. Especially vulnerable to developing this fungal infection are frail nursing home residents, who may struggle to fight the infection and could die from it, potentially necessitating the involvement of a wrongful death attorney. The CDC calls  the infection “a serious global health threat” due to its difficulty to identify and treat and its potential to spread among older people already coping with other health maladies.

Since carriers of C. auris can be asymptomatic, and since the infection is easily transmitted from person to person, C. auris can spread rapidly in hospital and nursing home environments. Resistant to many typical cleaning products used in nursing homes, C. auris can be contracted by the at-risk elderly via contact with infected surfaces like bed rails, wheelchair arms, and windowsills.

While the fungus presents a challenge to nursing homes, preventing the spread of C. auris is possible, says the CDC, by executing common nursing home infection protocols. Not implementing the following measures that deter the spread of nursing home infections amounts to nursing home malpractice:

• Regular surveillance—testing and monitoring for symptoms
• Isolation of Infected Patients—separate individuals with infections from other vulnerable residents
• Personal Protective Equipment—hygienic gowns and gloves
• Proper Hand Hygiene—frequent hand washing before and after treating patients, as well as use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Deep Cleaning—the frequent disinfection of shared medical equipment like blood pressure cuffs and temperature probes

All too often, as the result of circumstances such as insufficient staff training, a lack or a refusal to use protective equipment, and low staffing, the above fundamental infection prevention measures are disregarded. In such circumstances of nursing home malpractice, elderly residents develop and share nursing home infections like C. auris, which can lead to serious illness or even death, requiring the involvement of a wrongful death attorney.

Fighting to Protect Your Loved One from Nursing Home Infections

Your loved one living in a Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home should live without the fear of being subjected to any kind of nursing home malpractice that compromises his or her health or exposes him or her to the possibility of wrongful death. As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian P. Murphy is committed to fighting for the health and safety of Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing home residents. With extensive experience as a wrongful death attorney fighting negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Brian Murphy is committed to successfully resolving his clients’ nursing home malpractice cases. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Nursing Home Staffing Shortages Prevent Philadelphia Hospitals from Discharging Patients to Facilities:

The problem of assisted care understaffing came to the fore during January’s omicron COVID-19 surge as Philadelphia hospitals had nowhere to discharge their elderly patients.

In January, staff shortages at nursing homes and home-care companies were among the main issues contributing to an overload of patients in Philadelphia hospitals, says a Philadelphia Inquirer article. Philadelphia-area hospitals were forced to house an accumulation of patients needing nursing-home care when the rapid spread of the omicron variant among nursing home staff worsened the problem of assisted care understaffing in the area’s surrounding nursing homes.

Staffing shortages prevent Philadelphia hospitals from discharging patients which prompted the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, a Harrisburg trade group for nursing homes and other long-term care providers, to propose a strategy for increased nursing home staffing levels. The proposal suggested utilizing the Pennsylvania National Guard and federal resources to boost staffing in understaffed nursing homes with available beds.

January’s COVID-19 surge served to exacerbate an ongoing issue, as assisted care understaffing woes have plagued not only Philadelphia area nursing homes, but also the industry as a whole since before the advent of the coronavirus pandemic. Striving to increase nursing home staffing levels and working to resolve assisted care understaffing is paramount to the effort of ensuring sufficient resident care and preventing nursing home neglect. A case in point is the difficulty of preventing bedsores in nursing home residents when there is a shortage of nurses and nurse aides to help them. Since preventing bedsores essentially requires every bedsore-prone resident to be frequently repositioned in order to reduce long-term pressure against their skin, a nursing home must be able to scale its staff to meet this need. When a facility fails in preventing bedsores, nursing home neglect most likely has occurred.

Keeping Your Loved One Safe

Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes should take every measure to preserve its residents against nursing home neglect or abuse, including providing adequate, quality staffing. Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes are required by law to meet specific health and safety requirements and to provide such care as to secure the physical, mental, and psycho/social well-being of their residents. The development and/or deterioration of bed sores is indicative that nursing home neglect has occurred. Should you have concerns about a Pennsylvania or New Jersey nursing home, or if you suspect neglect, abuse, or fraud has occurred at the Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home where your loved one lives, please contact nursing home abuse attorney Brian P. Murphy to discover your legal rights and options.

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Data Reveals Deadliness of Pandemic in PA Veterans Homes:

Recently published data shows that the coronavirus pandemic took the lives of at least 40 military veterans in Pennsylvania VA nursing homes, says an article on WITF.org. Due to privacy reasons, the exact number of veteran nursing home deaths from COVID remains unknown.

As per the law passed nearly a year ago directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to publish COVID-19 data regarding the impact of the pandemic in its nursing homes, recent published data by the VA reveals case numbers and deaths across the nation between the months of May 2020 and August 2021. In Pennsylvania within that timeframe, over 300 veteran residents were infected with COVID-19 across the six VA homes in the state; at least 40 of these elderly veterans died. Additionally, records indicate that 500 Pennsylvania VA nursing home workers also contracted COVID-19.

In nearly every one of the VA homes, the number of nursing home worker cases exceeded the number of resident infections—at the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home in Blair County, for example, there were 157 staff member cases versus 61 elderly veterans who got COVID-19; however, while there were zero VA staff deaths in Pennsylvania, 37 veteran deaths from COVID were confirmed in two of the state’s VA homes (19 at Hollidaysburg). Between one and 10 veterans died in each of the four other VA homes in Pennsylvania, bringing the number of deaths from COVID to at least 40.

Details regarding what measures were taken by PA veteran nursing home workers to prevent the virus from spreading to residents remain unknown, as does information regarding the timeframe of deaths. The article does note that, upon the wide availability of vaccines for elderly Americans in January, many VA residents were vaccinated in Pennsylvania homes.

Data reveals deadliness of pandemic in PA veterans homes and nationwide, 1,498 veteran residents and 54 VA staff died.

The breakdown of the COVID-19 case and death data is as follows:

• Southwestern Veterans’ Center: 76 staff COVID infections; 26 resident COVID infections; 1-10 resident deaths
• Hollidaysburg Veterans Home: 157 staff COVID infections; 61 resident COVID infections; 19 resident deaths
• Southeastern Pennsylvania Veterans’ Center: 78 staff COVID infections; 37 resident COVID infections; 1-10 resident deaths
• Delaware Valley Veterans’ Home: 76 staff COVID infections; 51 resident COVID infections; 1-10 resident deaths
• Gino J. Merli Veterans’ Center: 65 staff COVID infections; 68 resident COVID infections; 18 resident deaths
• Pennsylvania Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Home: 65 staff COVID infections; 63 resident COVID infections; 1-10 resident deaths

Working to Keep Your Loved One Safe

Determining the quality and safety of the Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home where your loved one lives is essential. Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes are required to meet health and safety standards requirements and to ensure the physical, mental, and psycho/social well-being of their residents. To meet these standards, the Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home where your loved one lives must be equipped to avoid the kind of substandard care that amounts to nursing home neglect or abuse. Should you have concerns about the quality of care in a Pennsylvania or New Jersey nursing home, or if you suspect neglect, abuse, or fraud has occurred at the Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home where your loved one lives, please contact nursing home abuse attorney Brian P. Murphy to discover your legal rights and options.

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Although many patients recover from pressure ulcers, undiagnosed and untreated bedsores can cause osteomyelitis and other serious infections. Severe infections associated with bed sores can lead to sepsis and even death.

Nursing home residents who are bedridden are at great risk of developing pressure ulcers. These ulcers, clinically known as decubitus ulcers but more commonly called bed sores or pressure sores, result from a breakdown of the skin from unrelieved pressure against the skin. This kind of unrelieved pressure results from spending long periods of time immobile in bed or in a wheelchair. Nursing home caregivers are responsible for regularly turning and repositioning any patients who are at high risk for developing pressure sores; unfortunately, in cases of nursing home neglect, bed sores are allowed to develop and even to deteriorate into severe pressure wounds that invite severe infections.

Bed Sores and Serious Infections

Any break in the skin caused by pressure is prone to infection. Bed sores that are not swiftly addressed or that go undetected may deteriorate into late-stage bed sores and develop infections. As moist or dirty skin is especially susceptible to infection, infection rates from pressure sores increase among incontinent elderly nursing home residents. Often times bed sores develop on the buttocks, coccyx, or genital area, which can come in contact with urine or stool. The wearing of adult diapers can increase this contact with bacteria and introduce a moist environment that can invite a host of infections, including serious infections like osteomyelitis.

Bed Sores and Osteomyelitis

According to the Mayo Clinic, osteomyelitis is when a bone becomes inflamed due to an infection in the bone or bone marrow. Osteomyelitis can result from an infection spreading from nearby tissue or blood, or it can originate in the bone if a wound delivers bacteria to the bone. Advanced-stage pressure ulcers can penetrate deep, tunneling through skin layers and muscle to the bone, making a patient highly susceptible to infection and osteomyelitis. Bone resistance to infection decreases as people age.

While osteomyelitis can be accompanied by such symptoms as fever, fatigue, and swelling and pain in the affected area, osteomyelitis can sometimes be symptomless or show symptoms that appear to be the sign of another problem and thereby go undetected. This is particularly true for the elderly, especially if they have compromised immune systems or other underlying illnesses. Since osteomyelitis requires swift, aggressive treatment, having it go undetected puts patients at risk of certain complications, including bone death and sepsis.

Bed Sores Can Lead to Sepsis

The CDC recognizes sepsis as a life-threatening emergency. Sepsis, a serious condition common among older adults, can result from the presence of an infection in the body, like those caused by pressure sores. Infection-fighting chemicals released into the bloodstream can sometimes trigger an imbalanced bodily response, which can negatively impact or damage organs. A severe drop in blood pressure happens when sepsis progresses to septic shock. Septic shock, in turn, can lead to death.

Elderly individuals, such as nursing home patients who develop serious infections like osteomyelitis from late-stage pressure sores, run a higher risk of developing sepsis. Having a compromised immune system or certain chronic illnesses like cancer or diabetes make the elderly especially vulnerable to developing sepsis as a result of pressure ulcers. Sepsis is especially dangerous among elderly adults, who have a harder time recovering from it.

How to Avoid Dangerous Infections Caused by Pressure Ulcers

Avoiding serious infections caused by late-stage bed sores can first and foremost be achieved by avoiding bedsores in the first place. Nursing home caregivers can accomplish this by administering basic care:

• Assessing residents at high risk of developing pressure ulcers
• Turning and repositioning residents at least every 2 hours
• Using pressure-relieving apparatus such as foam padding or specialty bedding
• Providing adequate nutrition and hydration

Holding Nursing Homes Responsible for Bed Sore Neglect

By law, every Philadelphia / PA and NJ nursing home needs to assess every resident for his or her potential to develop bed sores. It is up to the nursing home to prevent pressure ulcers from occurring and to swiftly remedy any bedsores that do develop. Nursing home neglect and abuse attorney Brian P. Murphy has extensive experience dealing with bedsore-related cases in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey nursing homes. If your loved one who resides at a Philadelphia / PA or NJ nursing home has developed a serious infection from a bed sore, or is afflicted with a pressure sore at any stage, contact pressure ulcer attorney lawyer Brian P. Murphy to discover your legal rights and options.

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