Bedsores (also known as pressure sores) affect almost a quarter of the nursing home resident population in the United States, according to data published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
If you have a loved one who lives in a nursing home, you want to ensure they receive the proper care and treatment they deserve. If you discover that your loved one is suffering from any kind of abuse or neglect in a nursing home that results in bedsores, consider contacting a Newark bedsores lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at 800-842-6336 who can help you review the details of your case and assist you in pursuing legal action.
Link Between Bedsores and Nursing Home Neglect
Bedsores can develop within hours on the delicate skin of elderly residents who use wheelchairs or are bedridden. It is critical that nursing home staff members notice the development of a bedsore and treat it immediately. If a bedsore is immediately treated, and the resident is repositioned every few hours, then it will not develop into a serious medical issue that requires medical intervention and a possible hospital stay.
The nursing home has a duty to ensure its residents are properly monitored at all times so that the development of bedsores never reaches a critical or dangerous stage. Failure to provide this kind of monitoring or supervision is elder neglect.
Bedsores Stages
Stages of bedsores range from mild to life-threatening. It is important to note that bedsores are preventable and easily treatable when detected in the early stages. If your elderly loved one’s bedsores have led to a serious medical condition, you may want to consider whether the nursing facility’s staff acted negligently regarding their supervision and monitoring duties. You may also want to consider if the serious injury is a direct cause of this negligence. Learn more about the stages of bedsores below:
- Stage 1: Mild redness on the skin, slight skin sensitivity, mild pain, little to no skin loss
- Stage 2: Skin loss through all layers of the epidermis. Possibility of infections may occur in Stage II.
- Stage 3: Complete skin destruction and death of the tissue below the skin. Infections are severe and common in Stage 3.
- Stage 4: Extensive destruction of the skin, death of the tissue underlying the skin, muscle tissue death or destruction, possible damage to the bone, possible damage to the nerves, and potential paralysis. It is important to note that many infections at this stage turn septic, which can result in death.
If your loved one’s bedsores have reached past the first stage, it may be the direct result of nursing home negligence. Call today and learn how a Newark bedsores lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can help you understand how to determine if your loved one’s bedsores are the result of elder abuse or nursing home negligence.
For a free legal consultation with a Newark Bedsores Lawyer serving Newark, call (800) 794-0444
Future Medical Complications, Rehabilitation, and Disability
In many cases, if an elderly nursing home resident’s bedsores lead to serious health problems, they may have long-term medical injuries, permanent disability, or psychological trauma. They may even die. Because they are much frailer, elderly people may never recover or fully heal from the physical consequences of serious bedsores.
These medical complications may require physical rehabilitation, medical treatments, prescription medications, or even mental health treatments resulting from any psychological damage suffered. If your elderly loved one is suffering from bedsores that have developed into serious medical complications, the need for rehabilitation, or resulted in a disability, you have the right to seek justice against the negligent parties for all of the person’s injuries and losses.
Newark Newark Bedsores Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Pain and Suffering
Bedsores that are in the first stage typically do not cause serious pain. However, if left untreated due to nursing home neglect, these bedsores can result in serious pain and suffering for an elderly person. Unfortunately, in some cases, these bedsores can cause excruciatingly painful infections that have lifelong consequences. Your loved one has the right to seek compensation for not only their medical bills but also any pain and suffering they endured because of someone else’s negligence.
Click to contact our Newark Bedsores Lawyers today
Wrongful Death
If your elderly loved one died as the result of an untreated bedsore that developed into sepsis, you have the legal right as a family member to file a wrongful death lawsuit on their behalf. This lawsuit is the personal injury lawsuit your family member would have filed regarding their injuries and losses as a result of the nursing home’s negligence had they lived.
Typically, you must act within two years to pursue a wrongful death claim or a personal injury claim, according to NJ Rev Stat § 2A:14-2. Therefore, seeking a Newark bedsores lawyer’s advice can help you understand your legal rights to pursue justice on behalf of your elderly loved one.
Complete a Free Case Evaluation form now
A Newark Bedsores Lawyer Can Help You
Nursing homes have a duty to ensure the safety and protection of their residents. Bedsores should never develop into any type of serious infection or need any kind of hospitalization. If the nursing home staff acts prudently, bedsores will be detected early and treated. However, if a nursing home fails to monitor or treat residents who develop bedsores, catastrophic medical injuries or death can result.
If you believe your loved one is suffering from serious bedsores that possibly indicate neglect or abuse in a nursing home, contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at 800-842-6336 to help you explore your legal options.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
