Nursing Home Injury Lawyers: Bedsores and Carolina Nursing Home Neglect
Very simply, bedsores are a red flag for nursing home abuse and adult care abuse. Bedsores are extremely painful and can lead to infection, discomfort, and even death.
Some people think that bedsores (also known as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers) are a necessary evil of nursing homes and adult care centers. This is simply not the case. Bedsores are a red flag of nursing home neglect, and no one should allow an elder loved one to suffer from this painful condition.
A bedsore is often the result of a nursing home or hospital patient who is not repositioned, moved, or tended to often enough. When a elderly, weak, or restrained patient is unable to move, pressure builds up at certain points of the body, preventing healthy circulation, blocking oxygen from certain spots in the body, and eventually killing the skin and tissue in the effected areas. Bedsores can appear either in patients who are confined to their bed or who are confined to a wheelchair.
If a nursing home patient or rehabilitation center patient has bedsores, it is usually a sign that they have not been moved as often as they should be. Simple repositioning every few hours can prevent this painful condition that can often lead to severe pain, infection, and even death. Malnourished patients – who are also suffering from neglect – are even less likely to guard against the development of bedsores. Bedsores may also be a sign of improper restraint use or overmedication.
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Temperature and moisture are two other environmental conditions that lead to bedsores in the immobile. Bedsore may not just be a sign that your loved one is not being properly repositioned throughout the day – it may be a sign that other aspects of the nursing home environment are inappropriate.
If you or someone you love has developed bedsores or pressure sores in a North Carolina (NC) or South Carolina (SC) adult care facility, contact a nursing home neglect lawyer today.