Thousands in the Baby Boomer generation are heading to nursing homes, assisted living facilities and memory care units. This new wave of seniors comes with new dining wants as some places have employed gourmet chefs. However, many places do not and cause nursing home foodborne outbreaks.
About Nursing Home Foodborne Outbreaks
Across the country, the CDC reported 230 foodborne illness outbreaks from 1998 to 2017 in long-term care settings. The outbreaks resulted in 54 deaths and 532 hospitalizations and sickened 7,648 people. Just last year, a facility in Wisconsin had a norovirus outbreak. Investigators discovered kitchen staff repeatedly failed to check sanitation levels in the dishwasher. However, unless a government employee releases their findings, residents and families have no idea.
Improper Food Handling on the Rise
The third most common citation at a nursing home is unsafe food handling. However, only 33% of nursing homes have citations. Many food safety problems occur when owners of these nursing homes try to cut corners. They skimp on residents’ dietary needs or fire kitchen staff. In fact, many of these places are repeat offenders. They use the same shortcuts repeatedly against food safety to save money.
One home in Arkansas received a same warning multiple times in the last three years, but only received a fine of a few thousand dollars. Many advocates want placards with inspection grades to include food safety. Many nursing homes have higher rates of food safety violations than restaurants or other retail food establishments.
Some states are making changes, ranging from posting placards with inspection grades to including food safety experts on inspection teams.
Get Justice for a Loved One
If you suspect your loved one suffered from nursing home foodborne outbreaks, do not accept denials. Instead, contact a knowledgeable lawyer experienced with representing victims. When an abuser injures a resident at a care facility, it is not always obvious what happened and legal liability. The evidence available is often incomplete and may be self-serving for the defendant – the nursing home. This is why a free consultation with us is so important. We have been assisting the injured for 20 years. We help clients from all over the country. Our consultations are completely free. Call today.