In California, nursing homes have been hit the hardest when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. They have been described as hotspots for the virus with 40% of the California COVID-19 deaths coming from elderly care facilities like nursing homes and assisted living communities. However, this news does not come as a surprise to most when looking back on the infection rates of many of the Californian nursing homes that have been affected.
Substandard Quality of Care
The quality of these facilities is measured in several ways. In part, it is based on the number of registered nurses per resident, the number of aids per resident, as well as various infection control violations. An already limited number of registered nurses per resident is now a larger issue as elder care facilities continue to be the hardest hit by the pandemic.
Studies show that 90% of the homes experiencing coronavirus cases have had health violations in the past. This includes things like aids not washing their hands between patient interactions or not properly wearing protective equipment like gloves or gowns while working with patients who could be contagious. The standards of care before the coronavirus outbreak were not high enough and now the repercussions of that are being seen. Due to these numbers, California’s long term elder care facilities are becoming one of the most dangerous places to live.
Lack of Transparency
It is hard for relatives of the residents to get information about the standard of care and what is currently happening inside the facilities affected by COVID-19. They rely on staff to connect them with their family members via phone and video chat to check in since they are not allowed to visit. Part of this is due to lower staffing levels in general, which are now being affected by the virus as employees contract it as well. With worries of infection control, families struggle to have current information about their loved ones and their condition.
Contact an Attorney Today
If you are worried that the long term care facility where your loved one resides is not meeting a good standard of care for its residents, an experienced medical malpractice attorney may be able to help. You have a right to know how your relative is doing and for them to be protected as best as possible from harm. If you do not believe this right is being upheld by the facility, you could have a case. Contact Karlin & Karlin today to discuss your options.
