Snake Slithers Through Mississippi Nursing Home

A Mississippi woman found Diversicare of Southaven to be the perfect nursing home for her mother. It was close enough that she could visit nearly everyday. After four years visiting the nursing home, the woman was shocked to find a snake slithering through her mother’s nursing home room.

The Mississippi woman was visiting her mother when she discovered a snake in the room. Her mother has dementia and could not remember if this snake had been spotted before, but the woman insists the tiling in her mother’s room appears disturbed, indicating the snake has been around for awhile. Nursing home management disputes the snake was in the resident’s room. Management stated, “a snake was found in a hallway at Diversicare of Southaven. It was not in close proximity to any resident or patient residing at our center.”

When pest control was called to remove the snake, it was discovered the snake was a non-poisonous rat snake. While this type of snake does not pose a direct threat to patients, it could be a sign of unhygienic conditions across the facility.

Standard of Care

All nursing homes are expected to provide a certain standard of care. This not only includes the medical treatment residents receive, but also the conditions in which residents live. Facilities should be very clean, because many if not all residents in these facilities have compromised immune systems. These facilities should be free of pests and rodents that can spread disease. While not every insect can be kept out of a facility, preventative measures should be taken to prevent infestations. Any animal like rats, squirrels, raccoons, and snakes should never be present in a nursing home facility. When these animals are present, in addition to immediately contacting pest control to remove them, those affected should report the instances to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Pennsylvania Nursing Home Neglect

Residents in nursing homes rely on these facilities to take care of them, so when these facilities don’t meet the applicable standards of care, it’s the residents who suffer. At Lopez McHugh LLP, our attorneys work to put an end to Pennsylvania nursing home neglect. Call us today to schedule a free consultation to learn how we can help.