Common Types of Infections that Impact Nursing Home Residents

The kinds of infections we frequently see are E. coli-based infections. People become incontinent frequently as they become older and they’ll have to use either Depends diapers or receive toileting assistance from the staff. But frequently, they’re not changed properly; they’re not changed often enough. So they’re left in dirty Depends, they’re left in their own feces, and those lead to infections. Either they’re UTIs or, if they have a pressure ulcer or bed sore, those frequently occur on the coccyx or lower back area.

So the E. coli infection will spread to that open wound and lead to serious infections, osteomyelitis—which are bone infections—or sepsis. Pressure ulcers or bed sores are things that should never happen in any facility, be it a skilled nursing facility or an RCFE (Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly), and frequently they end in infections that lead to a person’s death. If you suspect that your loved one developed a bed sore that became infected, you should contact Lanzone Morgan and we’ll do everything we can to help.