A urinary tract infection for an adult can be a painful, unpleasant event. For a nursing home resident, it can be far worse. Urinary tract infections often cause delirium and mental status changes in senior citizens which greatly increase the chances of accidental injuries such as nursing home falls. Treatment may include the use of antibiotic medications which can result in a c-diff infection which can increase the chances of developing bed sores, making healing bed sores more difficult, and developing an infection like cellulitis or osteomyelitis.
The onset of signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection are a significant change in condition which require the nurse to notify the doctor. When we handle cases where a resident has become critically ill or suffered a wrongful death because of a urinary tract infection, we look for notes in the chart which suggest that there were signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection present for any material length of time before the doctor was notified. Failure to timely notify the resident’s doctor may be a basis for a nursing home abuse and neglect lawsuit.
Some of the signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection include:
- Fever
- Painful or difficult urination (dysuria)
- Increase in frequency or urgency of urination
- Flank or suprapubic pain
- Shaking chills
- Blood in the urine (hematuria)
- Delirium
- Worsening mental or physical status
- Darker colored urine
- Urine with unusual odor
The failure to timely obtain treatment orders for a urinary tract infection can cause many complications including the onset of sepsis or even death. If you have concerns about whether your loved one’s urinary tract infection was properly addressed by the nursing home staff, contact our experienced Chicago nursing home lawyers to better understand what happened and what your rights are.