Personal Injury Lawyer Assists Elderly Patients Who Have Suffered Aspiration Pneumonia in NJ Nursing Homes

Aspiration pneumonia is one of the most serious illnesses afflicting nursing home residents. The illness can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome, and it is a major cause of death in New Jersey nursing homes.

Sugarman Law is a highly respected law firm represents victims of nursing home abuse and neglect throughout New Jersey. Barry Sugarman has represented countless clients from all across the state – from Atlantic County to Hudson County and every town in between. Read more about Sugarman Law’s successes in helping families impacted by nursing home negligence.

The firm’s Nursing Home Litigation Team includes skilled attorneys and expert nurses who investigate claims of negligence and protect the rights of nursing home residents. You can trust Mr. Sugarman to fully investigate your case. If he determines there was neglect, rest assured he will fight tirelessly to hold the nursing home responsible for your loved one’s illness or injuries.

What is Aspiration Pneumonia?

Aspiration pneumonia is a serious infection of the lungs. When food and other foreign materials get clogged in an airway, lungs can become inflamed and aspiration pneumonia can result. Weakened immune systems make the elderly far more likely to develop aspiration pneumonia. Additionally, group environments such as nursing homes can expose individuals to respiratory pathogens and increase the likelihood of developing aspiration pneumonia.

What are the Main Causes of Aspiration Pneumonia in New Jersey?

Aspiration pneumonia is one of the most common nursing home injuries. Aspiration pneumonia is caused when a person cannot cough up food, liquids, or saliva from their lungs. The buildup in the lungs results in an infection. More general causes of aspiration pneumonia include:

• Feeding tube complications: Elderly residents of nursing homes who are fed through a tube or ventilator are more likely to develop aspiration pneumonia.
• Weak immune system: Enhances the danger of contracting aspiration pneumonia.
• Poor dental hygiene: Elderly residents who do not maintain proper hygiene or regularly brush their teeth can get aspiration pneumonia.
• Lack of proper care: Inattentive nursing home staff often misses the signs of aspiration pneumonia and fails to properly treat the illness in time.
• Stroke or other serious affliction: Stroke victims are at greater risk of aspiration pneumonia because their throat muscles are not strong enough to fully swallow food and liquids.
• Patient is under anesthesia: A patient who is not alert may be at greater risk of aspiration pneumonia and other serious illnesses.

In addition to looking for the signs of abuse, people with an elderly loved one in a nursing home should also be on the lookout for signs of aspiration pneumonia. Beyond that, nursing home staff should be properly trained to identify the signs and symptoms of aspiration pneumonia in residents. These signs can include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty swallowing food
• Excessive consumption of alcohol
• Constant, severe coughing
• Hoarse voice
• Chest pain
• Blue skin discoloration
• Sudden weight loss
• Fatigue
• Delirium
• Patient is frequently disoriented
• Bad breath

Experienced New Jersey Nursing Home Injury Attorney Can Help Your Loved One Get Compensation for Aspiration Pneumonia

Aspiration pneumonia can be effectively treated, but it requires accurate diagnosis and proper care. When an NJ nursing home fails in its duty of care and your loved suffers aspiration pneumonia as a result, you need an experienced New Jersey nursing home injury attorney, like Barry Sugarman, to help your elderly loved one get compensation and a full recovery, if possible.

The knowledgeable nursing home negligence attorneys at Sugarman Law are prepared to do whatever it takes to help you and your elderly loved one. The firm’s legal team regularly works with independent experts to investigate claims of nursing home abuse & neglect. They know what it takes to win a nursing home injury case. Call Barry Sugarman today to discuss your case, or email him to schedule a free consultation at his offices in Somerville or Marlton. He will come to your location, when necessary.

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