Bedsores, also called pressure ulcers, are skin lesions that may form due to prolonged pressure on an area of skin. Nursing home residents that are confined to beds due to immobility or medical conditions may be particularly at risk for developing bedsores. Bedsores typically develop on or near the hips, tailbone, heels, and ankles according to Mayo Clinic.
Suffering from bedsores in a nursing home may be a sign of abuse or neglect. If your loved one is suffering from bedsores, speaking to a San Francisco bedsores lawyer may help you better understand your legal options.
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) has listed severe bedsores on their list of “never events,” meaning they should not happen in nursing homes or hospitals. If pressure sores do develop, early intervention and treatment may prevent them from getting worse.
Unfortunately, if a nursing home’s staff does not address bedsores quickly, they may get worse and in later stages expose muscle and even bone. Bedsores may also be painful and cause unnecessary suffering for elderly nursing home residents.
If your loved one has suffered pain and anguish from bedsores in their nursing home, you may be entitled to receive compensation. Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm for a free case review.
Preventing Bedsores
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bedsores are a serious health problem that more than one in ten nursing home residents suffered from in 2004. Nursing homes and nursing home staff may take concrete steps to prevent bedsores as well as address them in the early stages when they may be healed more easily. Steps a nursing home may take to prevent and heal bedsores include:
- Frequent repositioning of patients.
- Using special cushions to protect the skin.
- Cleaning and dressing wounds professionally.
- Using special bandages and ointments that reduce the possibility of infection.
- Removing dead, damaged, or infected tissue.
Good personal hygiene and making sure that the nursing home resident eats a healthy diet may also help prevent pressure ulcers.
If you believe that your loved one’s nursing home neglected your relative’s bedsores, you may have a case against the nursing home. A San Francisco bedsores lawyer may be able to advise you and help you file a lawsuit.
Possible Serious Health Complications From Bedsores
As bedsores are a “never event,” they should not happen in a nursing home, let alone progress to more damaging stages. However, bedsores may develop in just a few hours. Detecting the early signs of bedsores and treating them immediately may be critical in preserving the overall health of the nursing home resident.
Nursing home staff should be adequately trained and qualified to identify those most at risk of developing bedsores, such as residents that are immobile, incontinent, or have certain medical conditions. Staff should not only know how to detect but also treat early stage pressure sores as soon as any early signs manifest themselves. Early signs of the injury may be improper skin coloration and itchiness or pain in the affected area.
Once a bedsore progresses from an early stage, it may have dire consequences for the senior in the nursing home. Several devastating and life-threatening medical conditions may develop due to advanced pressure ulcers according to the CDC, including:
Joint and Bone Infections
Infection from a bedsore may affect and damage the bones and joints of a victim. This may severely restrict the function of bones and joints.
Cancer
Non-healing wounds called Marjolin’s ulcers may develop into cancer.
Sepsis
Severe infection from a bedsore can lead to sepsis, which may potentially cause multi-organ failure or even the death of a resident.
If your loved one was injured or died due to pressure ulcers, you may have legal recourse and may be entitled to compensation. The presence of severe bedsores may be a sign of nursing home neglect. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm for a free consultation to find out if you have a possible case against a nursing home.
For a free legal consultation with a Bedsores Lawyer serving San Francisco, call (800) 794-0444
Nursing Home Neglect Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Lawsuit
You may not have to accept that your beloved relative is suffering from painful and entirely preventable bedsores in the nursing home. Nursing homes are responsible, by law, to have qualified staff on the premises as well as adequate medical provision.
According to the Nursing Home Reform Act, a nursing facility must “provide services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident.”
Despite various laws protecting nursing home residents’ health and well-being, there may be facilities that put profits before the health of their residents. You may have a case against a nursing home if you can prove they did not have adequate staff, or enough qualified staff, to ensure your relative’s needs were met.
A nursing home may also be negligent in other ways. Talking to a San Francisco bedsores lawyer may provide clarity on any legal options you might have.
Potential Compensation for Your Loved One’s Suffering
Medical costs may mount up quickly if your loved one is suffering from the effects of bedsores. If you decide to take legal action against a nursing home, you may be entitled to compensation for costs such as medical bills, transportation, hospitalizations, or other treatments related to the bedsores. You may also be able to claim awards for the emotional and physical pain or suffering that your loved one endured, as well as other damages.
If your loved one died as a result of complications from bedsores, you may potentially be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit and recover awards for funeral costs, medical bills, loss of companionship, and more.
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm may be Able to Fight for You
Neglect of the elderly is egregious and despicable. We cannot prevent your loved one’s suffering, however, we may be able to help them get justice and compensation.
Nursing home law may be complex, and nursing homes may fight any claims. Consider letting us work with you to defend your loved one’s best interests. We may take charge of all aspects of your claim and build a case against a negligent nursing home. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to find out if you may be entitled to compensation. We work on a contingency-fee basis.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
