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Bedsores Are a Common Sign of Nursing Home Neglect
Strong advocacy for older nursing home residents throughout South Carolina
Bedsores, also called pressure sores or pressure ulcers, develop when there is too much pressure on one area of the body. They appear most often on areas that have a bone and a small area of flesh. Common sites for bedsores are the elbows, heels, shoulder blades, and the tailbone. Bedsores are a common problem in nursing homes because older patients often cannot move themselves. Residents depend on nursing staff to regularly move them and to consistently check for bedsores.
At McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, our South Carolina nursing home bedsore attorneys know the signs of bedsores, why they happen, and what nursing homes and staff should be doing to prevent them. We also know the complications that can happen because of untimely or improper treatment of bedsores. Our firm holds nursing homes accountable for this common problem. We bring complaints against the nursing home to the attention of the state and file lawsuits to gain justice for nursing home abuse and neglect victims.
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Residents who often get bedsores
Nursing homes should routinely reposition residents every several hours to prevent bedsores and should regularly check for bedsores so prompt treatment can be given. An experienced South Carolina nursing home bedsore lawyer knows that residents who have the following problems should be routinely checked for bedsores:
- Inability to feed themselves
- Immobility
- Dry skin
- Weight control issues (either under or overweight)
- Incontinence
- Specific diseases such as cancer or diabetes
- Conditions like dementia or Alzheimer’s
Ways to prevent bedsores
Nursing homes should prepare their facility to minimize bedsores. Staff should be trained to help patients move and to properly treat bedsores. A South Carolina nursing home bedsore lawyer will inquire what steps the nursing home and staff took to protect the senior citizen from bedsores. Failure to take these steps can help prove the nursing home was responsible for the bedsores. Some actions that the staff can take include:
- Repositioning residents who are in wheelchairs every 15 minutes and those confined to a bed every two hours.
- Angling bed-ridden patients so they are not lying on their hips.
- Using mattresses that reduce body pressure and specialty wheelchairs that can tilt the resident.
- Inspecting the resident’s skin on a daily basis and use a good skin lotion on the senior.
- Focusing on the resident’s nutrition. Malnutrition can cause bedsores. Residents should stay hydrated.
- Managing the senior’s incontinence so the skin says dry and free of bacteria.
- Including some sort of exercises such as chair yoga to make sure the resident moves.
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