Are Bedsores a Sign of Nursing Home Abuse?

Posted by: Kemmy Law Firm

Thousands of families throughout Texas and New Mexico trust nursing home facilities to care for their loved ones. These nursing homes must not only show compassion, but also meet certain professional standards in how they care for residents.

It’s understandable for you to be confused and extremely upset if you feel as though your family member is not receiving the attention and care they deserve. However, it can sometimes be difficult to identify cases of neglect and abuse. People often wonder if their loved one’s bedsores are a sign of nursing home abuse.

It’s important to contact an experienced nursing home abuse attorney if you believe that a close family member is being abused or neglected by those who should be providing care. Do not delay in contacting the Kemmy Law Firm to speak with our nursing home neglect attorneys about your thoughts and concerns.

Call (210) 750-1019. We offer free, initial consults, don’t charge up-front fees, and only get paid when we win compensation for your loved one.

The Symptoms And Effects Of Bedsores

A bedsore is an injury to the skin and tissue immediately below the skin. These injuries are often compared to ulcers, and they can range from mild to severe in their nature.

A serious bedsore can affect muscle tissue below the skin. While a victim can suffer from a bedsore on any part of their body, the damage is often near joints or bony areas.

Bedsores are frequently in areas of the body where a lot of pressure is being applied due to sitting or lying for extended periods of time.

Common signs and symptoms of bedsores are:

• Skin color changes, especially to red, brown, or off-white
• Skin becoming stiff or changing in texture
• Swelling
• Draining of pus or fluid
• Tenderness or pain in areas around tailbone, hips, shoulder, or back of head
• Skin that feels cooler or warmer than the rest of the body

Abuse And Neglect Often Cause Bedsores

Bedsores can develop in many ways. However, there are several precautions that caregivers should take to prevent bedsores or reverse their development once they appear.

Nursing home staff should understand the dangers that bedsores pose to residents with little mobility and other medical conditions. Unfortunately, as experienced personal injury lawyers, we have seen terrible harm to nursing home residents from the professionals charged with their care.

Bedsores can be a sign of the following types of neglect or abuse:

• Malnutrition – The deficiency of essential nutrients help bedsores develop and quickly become serious. Neglected nursing home residents are often deprived of sufficient food or water.
• Lying on hard surfaces – Being placed on hard surfaces can cause bedsores. Nursing home staff must be conscious of this when helping residents who have mobility issues.
• Use of restraints – Ill nursing home residents sometimes need to be restrained. However, improper use can cause bedsores to develop.
• Prolonged immobility – Elderly and handicap people often fail to get enough movement during the day. Nursing home staff must make sure your loved one gets enough mobility to prevent bedsores and improve their general wellbeing.
• Poorly fitting prosthetics – Many nursing home residents require prosthetics. However, if improperly fitted, prosthetics can cause pain and the development of bedsores.

How a Lawyer Can Help Your Loved One

Every elderly and disabled person has unique medical needs. Your loved one may have several issues that make life difficult. Our attorneys understand this, and that nursing homes have to meet a certain standard of care for those who trust them with their health and safety.

When they fail to meet his obligation and your loved one suffers, they may be entitled to compensation.

Abuse and neglect are common in nursing homes, but recovering compensation for it requires demonstrating how the nursing home facility failed to uphold the standard of care expected of them. To prove this, our attorneys will do the following:

• Review medical records – Speaking with third party doctors and health professionals lets us confirm how bedsores developed and impact the victim.
• Speak with the victim – Sometimes it can be difficult for an elderly or disabled person to understand that they are the victim of abuse. A compassionate attorney will know this, but will still learn as much as possible from the impacted person.
• Speak with witnesses – Nursing home residents and staff can often see patterns of neglect, and in many cases they want to help the victims of this abuse.

Reach Out to The Kemmy Law Firm

Did your loved one’s bedsores develop due to abuse?

It is certainly possible that their bedsores are a sign they needs help, but the details must be investigated. Your loved one has the right to expect a certain standard of care in a nursing home facility, and the Kemmy Law Firm will fight to make sure they get it.

With offices in San Antonio, Odessa, TX, and Hobbs, NM, do not delay in contacting our Texas and attorneys. To speak with one of our caring and knowledgeable nursing home injury lawyers, call (210) 750-1019 for a free, initial consult. We will listen to what happened, explain your legal options, and describe the next steps to protect your loved one.