Bedsores

If an elderly individual can no longer take care of themselves to a point where they need to be placed in an assisted living facility or nursing home, you are forced to place trust into that facility. If you discover that your elderly loved one has developed pressure sores – also known as bedsores – it is a clear sign the facility has been negligent in their duties to properly care for that loved one, and they may be liable for a claim against them. Contact the expert nursing care attorney at Altman & Altman LLP today to discuss action today.

Bedsores occur when skin rests too long against a particularly irritating surface, such as a bed sheet, for such a prolonged period of time that the unrelieved pressure causes a wound to develop, which can result in life-threatening infections.

Bedsores are one of the most common signs of nursing home neglect and medical malpractice within a nursing home or assisted care facility, as they display an inability for the facility to perform the simplest of duties for their residents, such as checking that they haven’t been stationary in bed for days at a time.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that a full 10 percent of nursing home residents suffer from bedsores. While not uncommon, and sometimes bedsores can develop rapidly if a resident is unable to move much on their own, it remains the responsibility of the facility to ensure that the bedsores are remedied and do not develop into more serious afflictions which may seriously impact the residents’ health.

Preventing bedsores is as simple as ensuring the resident is clean, dry and not remaining in one position for too many hours at a time. If an elderly resident has bandages anywhere on their body, these must be removed, cleaned and changed to fresh bandages every day. If a resident is bound to a wheelchair or bedridden, they must make sure to move or be moved to a different sitting or resting position often.

Bedsores do not become health-threatening until the second of four stages – when they develop into open wounds. At first, the skin will be red and irritated and painful to the touch. This is when prevention efforts must kick in to stop the sore from advancing. Once it develops into an open wound, more serious intervention is required. At this point, it could be argued the nursing home or care facility has already displayed negligence.

Horrifying enough, cases occur every year where elderly residents are left without being properly checked for so long that bedsores progress into the most serious stage, where bones, tendons and muscles may actually become exposed. At this point, the bedsore has progressed to a point where serious medical intervention is required, and already may have left the elderly individual open to a host of life-threatening infections.

It is never easy to make the decision to put an elderly loved one – somebody you probably grew up with, and have endless fond memories of as a younger, spryer person – into an assisted care facility or nursing home. Those who are faced with this unfortunate reality perform their diligence to make sure they are leaving their elderly loved one in a place where they will be properly cared for, however there are never guarantees that they will be properly cared for 24/7, seven days a week.

In the horrid instances where you find out that your elderly loved one has been harmed through the negligence of an assisted living or nursing home facility, the experienced medical malpractice attorneys at Altman & Altman are here to help. We have over 50 years of experience fighting on behalf of those who were harmed due to the careless actions of others.

We will pursue the facility to the full extent of the law and do everything in our power to secure a settlement or positive outcome in court which will help pay for medical bills or a new placement in a better facility where your loved one will be properly cared for.

Call us for a free consultation to go over the details of your case today at 617.492.3000 or toll-free at 800.481.6199. We are available 24/7, and have offices throughout Boston, Cambridge and Massachusetts.