C. difficile is considered the most common cause of diarrhea in nursing homes. Because many elderly nursing home patients are more susceptible to C. difficile infections and its accompanying complications, nursing home staff must closely monitor the bowel movements of residents in order to quickly diagnose a possible C. difficile infection. Left untreated, C. Diff can kill nursing home patients.

In addition, nursing homes should take extra precautions to prevent the spread of C. difficile through: thorough hand washing, contact precautions (keeping residents with infections separate from healthy residents), thorough cleaning of all surfaces and equipment, and avoiding unnecessary use of antibiotics.